Touch the Soul, Bear the Sentence
by Jeremiah Legacy
Summary: What if the best thing in the world happened in the worst possible way? This is a dark love story about Timmy & Tootie. Rated M. Now with 13 yummy chapters, and it's time for a ride on the dark path express.
1. Dream's Ending

As usual, I don't own any of these characters; they were created by Butch Hartman (unless otherwise noted). The music groups and songs, however, are mine.

Don't bother suing me; my army of loyal prostitutes will destroy you.

A couple continuity notes to make here: 1) No Poof. I have nothing against the little lovable ball, but the story won't work with him, so I took him out. 2) Vicky is slightly less cruel to Tootie. 3) They are in junior high now. 4) No Doidle. In this world, Vicky never had a dog; trust me, you will thank me for this later.

Now, enjoy. Read, review.

Chapter 1: Dream's Ending (Destiny's Beginning)

Timmy was confused about why he wasn't ecstatic. After all, here he was, with the girl of his dreams, the elusively popular and pretty Trixie Tang at the Homecoming Dance. Sure, the school team, the Dimmsdale Victims lost – again – and the dance ended at 9 pm because it was a Thursday night dance, but he just accepted it as part of the dance. The odd part was why, after all these years of pursuing the "love of his live", he just wished that the clock would strike nine now instead of waiting.

Not that he had much of a choice; his fairy godparents were taking the night off, celebrating their anniversary. Depending on which one was asked, it was either their 1,037th anniversary or time for pudding.

Trixie was even more attractive than usual, wearing an emerald green ball gown that hinting at the curves developing on her. He, in turn, was wearing a white tuxedo with pink pinstripes, wished up as a present. She agreed to go with him to the dance, partly to shake things up on the popularity charts – they had grown too insular for her tastes – and mostly out of curiosity; find out what the pink-hatted boy was like. And now she knew, as he knew about her. They were thinking the same thing at this moment; nice person, but no spark there.

He didn't want to say anything that might hurt her feelings, so he kept his nagging feelings to himself. She felt a little awkward, but she knew she would have to say address the elephant in the room.

"Timmy, "she began. "You're a nice guy, but it's clear we weren't meant for each other." She looked at him, hoping that she didn't hurt him too much. _Even if he's hurt, I know what will make him feel better, even if he protests_.

Timmy looked back at her and pleasantly surprised her by responding, "Um, yeah. I was thinking the same thing. You're a nice girl, and I didn't want to say anything, but I don't know why we don't click. I mean, I've been chasing you since we were in kindergarten, and now that we're here …" he stopped. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

She smiled. _Sweet boy._ "Well, I started us talking. I want us to be friends though."

He looked at her, not sure how to respond. It was the classic "let's just be friends" speech, but that wasn't what bothered him. The confusing part was that they were still of different social classes. "How will the other popular kids deal with that?" he asked, harsher than he intended.

Slightly taken aback by the harshness, she continued. "Not my problem. They'll adjust. But there is something I want from you before this night is over."

Timmy was very confused. What did she want? A kiss? Strangely, that did not appeal to him as much as he felt it should have. Nervously, he asked, "What's that?"

She glanced behind him at the girl at the punch bowl, then continued. "A dance. I want you to have one dance, " she motioned with her head to the girl behind him, "with her."

Timmy turned around and realized she meant that "her" was Tootie. She was drinking the official Dimmsdale Jr. High School Punch Flavored Punch™ while wearing a black and grey strapless dress of her own; if he didn't know better, he would swear it was like her usual school outfit but somehow … _sexier, damn it, stop thinking like that! That's Tootie!_ He had seen her a couple times that night, where she was always talking with people, but never dancing. Was Trixie trying to make him miserable?

As if knowing what he was thinking, Trixie continued. "She's been watching you all night. And trying to melt me with her heat-ray vision." She turned her shoulder to show the scorch marks on the dress straps. "And more importantly, you've been watching her."

He was embarrassed, and a little insulted; even he knows to not watch other girls on a date. "Sure, I saw her a couple times, but come on. She's my friend. I'm here with you."

She smiled. _Sweet boy, but so incredibly DUMB._ "You didn't realize you were, but I'm a girl. I notice these things. Besides, "she smiled wickedly. "I'm still your date, which means if I want you to dance, you have to dance. It just so happens you have to dance with her."

He looked back at Tootie, her back turned to them, drinking her punch. _I suppose one dance couldn't hurt. What's the worst that could happen? I'll just walk up to her, wearing that dress, going down to her legs, wrapping around her hips, hugging that nice, tight, squeezable … focus Timmy. Just walk up and ass … ask her._ There was just one problem.

"She'll think I'm just doing this because you dumped me or something. It'll look bad. How do I get her to come over here?"

Trixie smiled wickedly again. She held her throat and, in a perfect impersonation of his voice, yelled out, "Tootie. Come here." Tootie quickly turned around and Timmy nervously smiled as she walked over.

"Hi Timmy," she cheerfully said. She then looked at Trixie. The heat vision not working, she tried an icy glare. "Miss Tang."

Trixie felt a little insulted, but understood. "Timmy has something he wants to ask you."

Timmy nervously stammered. "Um, uh, Tootie, want um, to dance?" Tootie looked at him, then at Trixie. _He's with "The Love of His Life". Why is he asking me to dance? And in front of her?_ She glanced at Trixie, who smiled and nodded slightly, giving the clear signal that however the date was going, he was all Tootie's now.

She calmly took his hand and pulled him off his chair and led him to the dance floor, as the last song started – the power ballad by 5 Days to Midnight, "The End of Forever".

They danced a slow dance to the lyrics, not talking, just holding each other.

_I won't lie and promise only good days ahead_

_Some roses are blue, some violets are red_

_And I know there'll be days when my heart screams out "Never"_

_But I'll only love you until the end of forever_

As the long song continued, he tuned out the lyrics, the scene, and even the fact that he started this night walking in the gym with Trixie. Only this dance mattered. _I could get used to this_, he smiled internally. As the music stopped, he felt a sense of contentment, followed by a sense of dread. _Should I try to kiss her? Should I say something? Actually, I think I should duck!_ As he did, he barely missed the punch coming right for his face.

He looked at the arm the fist was attached to and saw Vicky with fire in her eyes, at an intensity he had never seen before. She pushed him away from Tootie and over the table. She then grabbed his throat and held him off the ground.

"YOU EVER TOUCH HER AGAIN AND I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" she screamed, gripping his throat tighter. Timmy had seen Vicky angry before many times – it was a game to him – but never like this, especially in public. There was no doubt in his mind that she meant every word she said.

He choked out, "We were just dancing. That's all." He heard Tootie crying and running off.

Vicky dropped him suddenly, a strange look of remorse in her eyes. Almost as if she was just now realizing what was going on. She ran off after Tootie while Timmy lay on the ground, enjoying his chance to breathe freely again.

On the other side of the dance floor, Veronica came up to Trixie, smiling. "Well, good to see that loser got what was coming to him. Imagine the nerve of him, thinking he was as good as us."

Trixie was enraged at the comment. She got to know him. He wasn't popular, probably would never be, but he was worthy of respect; after all, he was brave enough to ask her to the dance after being rejected for years (to the point that he was on first name basis with her security staff), and then was too nice to accept that he was looking at a different girl during the date, and then was brave enough to dance with that girl.

"Drop it, Veronica," she coolly said.

Not all blondes are dumb. Not all blondes are clueless. Veronica, however, was. She continued voicing her indignation. "Drop what? The fact that that nobody even showed up? Homecoming is supposed to be for us popular kids, not wastes of space like him. Why didn't your security throw him out? And throw out the slut girl he was dancing with too."

"I said drop it. Now." Trixie was feeling her fury rise. _Whatever that redhead was on, it seems to be catching._

Veronica looked at her, angry at her friend's disagreeableness. "Like, don't you agree with me? They're just dumb dogs that need to be spayed and neutered before they breed."

Trixie had had enough. She suddenly back-handed Veronica across the face hard enough to knock her down, leaving a big red mark on her cheek. Gearing up, she nailed Veronica in the chest with a push kick, slamming her on her back and wincing in pain. The crowd watched this show of violence, scaring Trixie. They just saw her attacking one of the other popular kids for insulting two unpopular ones. What was going to happen now?

To her pleasant surprise, the room cheered, chanting Trixie's name. _This is true power, the power to stand up for what is right_, she thought.

When Timmy got home and laid down for bed, Cosmo and Wanda were there, floating over the fishbowl that was their home. They smiled at their godson.

"So Timmy, how was the dance?" Cosmo asked, holding a bowl of pudding.

"Weird," he responded. "I went with Trixie, and thought it'd be great. But the only thing I really liked was my dance with Tootie." He paused and gulped. "Until Vicky went psycho and threatened to kill me."

Wanda and Cosmo looked at each other, thinking the same thing. _Uh oh._ Cosmo responded first. "She always does that. That's why she had you dig your own grave. Three times. I even have pictures." He pulled out the pictures of the three grave sites, with him posing in each of them. Two of them were goofy grins, and the third was him laying down, holding a sign that read, "Vicky did this! And she shot Kennedy."

Timmy looked at the pictures and smiled, but then got serious. "Not like this. I mean, I never saw her like that. I really think she was going to do it. It was like something snapped in her, and I don't even know why. We were just dancing."

Wanda was even more concerned. _This is bad. Real bad._ She tried to be calming. "Well, how was dancing with Tootie?"

Timmy smiled, thinking of the dance, of holding her. "It was good. I mean, I thought I was going to be with Trixie, but we didn't click. She had me dance with Tootie, and it felt … I don't know, it felt 'right' somehow. Almost like …" he paused, thinking of what he was about to say. Afraid that if he said it out loud, it was real.

Cosmo smiled. "Like what, Timmy?"

Timmy looked back. "Almost like maybe I've been chasing the wrong girl all along."

Wanda smiled at that. Knowing all she knew, she was glad to see Timmy at least thinking about Tootie. "Maybe you have, sport. But you're still young. You have time to sort it all out."

Timmy laid on his bed, drifting off to sleep. "Yeah, I suppose. But even as confused as I am, I know it'll get better." He fell fast asleep.

Wanda looked at him sadly, thankful he did not hear her response. "I'm sorry, sport, but it gets worse. It gets a lot worse."


	2. The New Normal

First, the disclaimer. As usual, I don't own any of these characters; they were created by Butch Hartman (unless otherwise noted). The music groups and songs, however, are mine.

Don't bother suing me; my army of loyal prostitutes will destroy you.

My reviewers both mentioned Vicky going ballistic, and I am going to (somewhat) address this. First, Timmy had never seen her like that before; he was genuinely scared for his life. More importantly, yes, there is something else going on. The reason Vicky reacted as she did will be explained soon – but not yet.

Chapter 2: The New Normal (Never Let Me Go)

The alarm went off, followed by the end of the song she and Timmy had danced to the night before, "The End of Forever." She listened, her heart lightening up, and smiling for the twenty seconds the last notes played, then felt the disappointment of the DJ coming on with the news report.

"This morning's news: President Obama shot himself in the butt last night while he was …"

"Booooring," she said out loud before turning off the radio and thinking more about the dance. It was the first time she danced and not just with any boy; it was the boy of her dreams, Timmy Turner. She didn't want it to end, especially the way it ended – with Vicky trying to hurt him. As much as she apologized to her on the drive home, Tootie was still furious. _I know you're trying to protect me, but murder is not always the answer, especially when it comes to my beloved Timmy._ She looked outside and didn't see Vicky's car outside in the driveway. Panic started setting in.

Immediately, she went to her Timmy Shrine in the back of her closet, and pulled out her Timmy Tracker. She hoped it still worked; she hadn't used it in over a year. She turned it on and the screen blinked, "SEARCHING". For the longest fifty-seven seconds of her life, it just flashed that same accursed message; it might as well have been saying "I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU! YOU'LL HAVE TO WATCH IT ON THE NEWS!" Finally, it said it found him, and his pulse. It asked if she wanted to find him. She picked "No" and powered it down. She breathed a sigh of relief; he was alive and probably asleep.

As she was getting dressed, she heard the front door open. "Hey twerpette," Vicky called, in a cranky morning voice. "Breakfast in ten minutes. Be hungry and dressed." Since their parents left a year ago, Vicky had been getting up in the mornings and cooking breakfast; it seemed to make her calmer, so Tootie was not going to complain, even if that meant eating food prepared by someone who confused creative cooking with bad ideas.

Dressed and eating small pieces of Vicky's creation, pumpkin pancakes with a blackberry/mayonnaise syrup, she tried to think of something besides Timmy and the horrible food she was eating. That's when she remembered that today was The Talk Day at school, an entire day for the Dimmsdale Jr. High to learn about "how bodies are changing," which everybody already knew because they watched the same tapes last year. She forgot all about it until this moment, and couldn't feign sickness. Food poisoning, maybe, but that would mean Vicky would then cook everything at 175 degrees again for a long time, and probably ruin another ice cream cake. So she decided to just go and stay quiet. Besides, nobody learned anything at these anyway. So she just got in Vicky's car after breakfast to go to school and watched the bus drive by, followed by Timmy running after it. Vicky looked almost like she wanted to say something, but decided against it.

Later that morning, everybody was in their classes, when the VHS tapes were brought in. Mr. Crocker, transferred to this new school, was not happy about having to do The Talk Day, but at least it was easy for him; put in the tape and make sure nothing interesting happens. After all, he had accepted that wherever the fairy godparents are, they are very will hidden and that he was losing years of his life trying to chase after them. Better to make things dull, and maybe they'd come to him to liven things up.

"Today, class, we're going to watch a movie. It's educational. Now watch it."

Chester raised his hand. "Is there going to be a test on this?"

Veronica sneered at him. "Not for you, loser. But for some of the other guys, totally," she said, looking over at Chad and Tad as most of the popular kids snickered.

Trixie, sitting a few seats from her, smiled. "And with Veronica, that test is sponsored by the letters S, T, and D," she cackled out, with the entire class laughing.

Mr. Crocker knew he had to step in, or else he would start laughing. "That's enough. No more questions. Just watch the tape." He turned it on.

"You, Changing Bodies and You, presented by Dr. Ruth Weaselhammer" stayed on the screen followed by screams from the class as the tiny, yet somehow evil-looking doctor came on the screen, talking with her thick Irish accent.

"Ahhhhh! What's with the Nazi leprechaun?" Timmy yelled out, along with A.J., Sanjay, and a couple of the girls in unison.

As the doctor talked about changing bodies and the joys of sexual reproduction, and the class making jokes, Wanda and Cosmo popped into view as a pencil and eraser.

"Sorry we're late, sport," Wanda told him. "Someone forgot to set the alarm in our fishbowl this morning." She glared at the green pencil.

Cosmo became indignant. "You told me to make sure the alarm goes off at 6 AM. What happened at 6 AM?"

Wanda sighed and nagged, "The alarm clock turned off entirely, making us sleep in. I'm sorry I forgot how stupid you can be."

Cosmo smiled, not aware of the insult. "Apology accepted. Now what's going on?" He curiously hopped on his pencil tip to turn around before seeing the movie. "AAUUGGHH Nazi leprechaun! Kill it! Kill it!" He turned away. "What is it doing?"

Timmy looked at him and dryly responded, "She's teaching us about sex."

Cosmo couldn't help but turn his head again before turning it back. "It's going into details! Stop it! Wash away the horror! Wash away the horror!" He poofed a miniature bottle of bleach next to him and poured it all into his eyes, then screamed as his eyes sizzled from the burns. "Ahhhh, much better."

Wanda groaned, then decided to talk to Timmy. "Sport, can we talk about last night?"

Timmy looked back at her. "Um, sure, it's not like Weaselhammer's going to mind. Besides, I still don't know what to think."

Wanda sighed. _This is probably a bad time, but anything to watch Cosmo from pouring more chemicals on himself_. She looked at Timmy. "You know how she feels, and I think you know how you feel about her."

Timmy sighed, thinking of her, and the dance, and holding her. He tried to not think about Vicky holding him by the throat. "You're right. I just … it's just that I'm not used to thinking of her like that. She was always the weird creepy girl, and now she's the weird creepy girl with the long pigtails and, "his mind drifted to thinking about her, looking at her while absent-mindedly listening to the movie, as Dr. Weaselhammer was now discussing foreplay. " … the long legs and that skirt to run my fingers along and slip under to rub her …"

Wanda poofed a cup of ice water and splashed his face with it, causing him to cough. "Cosmo, want to weigh in on this?"

Cosmo smiled cheerfully, as usual. "Sure. Remember to be kissing her on the lips when your fingers go roaming, so she feels like you're appreciating her, not just trying to follow a guide. And also, you have to be …" he never finished, because he got whacked by an anvil to the head. He took the hint and poofed up a notepad and miniature pencil. "On second thought, I'll just watch the movie." He turned around and then wrote down "position ideas". He called out, "How many U's in 'cowgirl'?"

Wanda irritatedly responded, "For you tonight, none."

Timmy felt very awkward having this conversation and wanted to talk about something else. Anything else. "So, "he said, louder than he intended, then he got quieter and continued. "I wonder what Tootie's thinking about all this?"

Cosmo, not understanding when to stay quiet, chimed in, "Maybe she's taking notes, too. After all, she hasn't said much since this movie started."

Wanda grew concerned as she glanced over at Tootie. _I was afraid this would happen. Too late now, I suppose._

Timmy looked back at Tootie. "I meant about 'us'. But now that you mention it, Cosmo, she does seem a little off. I'll need to talk to her at lunch. Maybe the leprechaun's too much horror." He turned back to the tape as the "leprechaun" continued going into details of "all ze positions of pleasure." Cosmo looked down at his notes, did some counting, then turned back to Timmy, a look of horror of his own.

"Timmy, wish to stop the movie, " he said, a sense of urgency in his voice.

Confused, but concerned, Timmy looked at him. Something's not right when _Cosmo_ is concerned. "Why? Is it that bad?"

Cosmo's voice raised in a slight panic. "Just do it. Do it now."

Before Timmy could respond, the tape continued with its detailed list. "Nexzt iz a personal favorite, the doggy ztyle. It is ven the woman …" Tootie suddenly stood up and left the classroom, leaving behind a group of junior high kids watching and joking about the tape. Only Timmy noticed. Without thinking, he jumped up and went after her; something was wrong. Tootie just doesn't leave class.

He followed her, then she started running faster. Checking to see if they were there, Timmy said to his godparents, still in their pencil and eraser forms, "I wish I could catch up to Tootie." One second later, she turned the corner and ran into him, knocking him down. _Why does this family keep knocking me to the ground?_

He quickly stood up and thought of a joke about Weaselhammer's horror show (something to do with being after her lucky charms), but immediately decided against it when he saw her face; she had been crying. Was still crying.

"Tootie. What's wrong?" he said to her, trying to not startle her.

She reached out to him, hugging him tightly. Too tightly. Part of him wanted to push her away, out of habit. Part of him wanted to push her away, remembering that these hugs tended to end with a lack of oxygen. But the rest of him held her back, not understanding, not sure he _wanted_ to understand, but knowing he was needed. She just cried, and finally said, almost gasping, "I don't want to talk about it. I just can't go back there."

"Too bad, Miss Flanagan. You need to go back to class," Mr. Crocker sneered as he walked up to them. He noticed them leaving and he was not about to let his perfect disciplinarian record be ruined by two teenagers wanting to get physical. "You too, Mr. Turner."

Tootie stayed where she was, crying and holding Timmy, and Timmy did the same. He spoke angrily, "We'll be back in a couple minutes, Mr. Crocker. I promise."

Crocker was not impressed, nor interested. "Not in a couple minutes, now."

Timmy felt his anger rising, could taste it. "Not today, Denzel," he coldly responded. He knew he had to stay calm, knew that Tootie needed him, and registering that "Denzel" was just doing his job. _He needs to back off now before something bad happens._

Mr. Crocker had decided he was done. He grabbed Tootie's wrist, pulling her off of Timmy and pulled her back to the class. "Come along, little doggie."

At those words and being grabbed and pulled, Tootie screamed. Windows shattered, alarms went off, and the classrooms emptied to see what was happening. She pushed off of Crocker, and curled into a fetal position, screaming and crying hysterically. "No, I won't go. I won't go. I won't be a good doggie. I won't be a good doggie," she cried over and over again, gasping for air.

Timmy Turner has endured a lot in his young life. He has been used as animal bait, a snowboard, has been used as a sports ball on multiple occasions, been chained in a dungeon, had his failures celebrated as a party. His parents forget his birthday, his babysitter brags of her evil deeds, even Fairy World seems out to get him at times. He has learned to take all things in stride.

Nothing prepared him for the rage he felt at this moment.

Seeing Tootie crying, made worse by _Denzel_ who didn't back off. Seeing her hurting, it didn't matter that she was crying before _Denzel_ got there; the old man took a bad situation and hurt her even more. Timmy saw a bright red flash. He wouldn't remember anything else about the incident.

Tootie wouldn't remember anything after Crocker grabbed her.

For everybody else, they would be witness to something they would never, ever forget.


	3. Everything Breaks or Snaps

To my reviewers, thank you for the feedback. For my subscribers, glad you like it enough to keep up with it.

Not repeating the disclaimer, but I will correct it. Dr. Ruth Weaselhammer was my creation. I was intending to put in more jokes about her, but I had to cut something, and everything else was more important. The principal in this chapter, Ms. Diamond, is also my own creation, but not as interesting.

Hot shot: What happened to Tootie will be explained soon, and it is related to Vicky's behavior. Trust me on this: it was a lot worse than you think. Also, can Timmy fix it? I can't answer this question without giving away too much.

Tall T: Glad you're enjoying the roller coaster. Unfortunately, this ride is about to go straight down.

I am genuinely surprised about the one question nobody has asked that I was sure was coming. More on that later. Now, for the next chapter.

Chapter 3: Everything Breaks or Snaps (Chains of Fear)

"Here's an ice pack for your hand, Timmy," the nurse told him. "But I'm afraid there may be more damage to it, so you should get it checked out at the hospital. What did you do to it anyway?"

Timmy took the ice pack and put it on his swollen right hand. "Uh, I don't remember." That much was true; he truly did not remember what happened, but he had a pretty good idea. He remembered a red flash as _Denzel_ make Tootie hysterical, and the next thing he remembered was Francis holding his hands behind his back telling him to calm down. Ever since he went to the Dimmsdale Juvenile Detention Center last Year, he was different. Not less aggressive, but using his aggression as a tool to keep order and break up fights. He was asked once why he stopped bullying, and all he said was, "The person that goes in the Center is not the person that comes out."

The next thing he remembered was the crowd of kids, Tootie still in the corner in a panic, and teachers coming out, trying to calm her down and keep the other kids a safe distance away. One of them called 911 to get an ambulance, although they were more concerned for Tootie than for the bloody Mr. Crocker lying on the ground, spitting up blood and teeth.

Now, here he was, icing his hand, waiting for the principal, Ms. Diamond, to call him in and waiting for his father to arrive. She insisted on calling him before meeting. Not that it mattered; he knew what was going to happen anyway. But where was Tootie? One would think they would bring her in the office, upset as she was.

Mr. Turner arrived, angrily glaring at Timmy. "What did you do this time?" he growled. "And why didn't they call your mom?"

Ms. Diamond came out, a stern older white-haired woman, with eyes that seemed cold and hard. She was known for her top-down rules enforcement; she once refused to show Star Wars because she felt it was too biased in favor of the rebels.

"I called you because a man should see his son before that son is carted off to jail," she said, glaring, a hint of malice in her eyes. "And for what you did to poor Mr. Crocker, I will personally see to it that you don't get out until your children are in nursing homes."

Mr. Turner looked at her with a confused expression. "Don't you have to fill out paperwork or something before you do that? Perhaps with, "and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out, "a shiny new pencil?"

She motioned them both in her office and closed the door. As the door closed, Timmy swore he heard Vicky yelling out, "Where's Tootie?" He didn't look behind him out of fear he wasn't just hearing voices.

She began writing out the expulsion papers, while Timmy's father looked at him. "I know your mother's made mistakes, but we never thought you would do something like this."

Timmy began to protest. "But dad, it was his fault." His dad shushed him. Timmy then groaned out, "I just wish …" he stopped and smiled. "I wish that you could have seen what happened." Wanda and Cosmo smiled from inside Timmy's pocket; that was their cue.

As Ms. Diamond continued writing, the door flung open and a man with green hair was pushing a DVD/TV cart in, followed by a pink-haired woman holding a DVD, labeled, "Terror in the Hallway". The startled principal barked out at them, "Who are you and why are you in MY office?"

The pink-haired woman smiled. "We have footage from the cameras in the hallway that might help show what happened." She winked at Timmy; Wanda could pass as human when she tried.

Ms. Diamond was not interested. "I don't remember any cameras being installed in the hallway."

The green-haired man smirked. "Of course YOU don't. WE were the ones that did the work of installing them. Man, you principals are soooo ingrateful. Looking down on us like we're imaginary figures." Timmy bit his tongue to keep from bursting out in laughter.

Wanda plugged in the TV while Cosmo went to the doorway. "Miss Flanagan, can you come in here, please?"

Timmy and Ms. Diamond simultaneously blurted out, "What? Why?"

Vicky (_Oh no, she IS here_, Timmy thought) came over to the doorway. "What do you want?" she growled.

Cosmo, in his human voice, stated, matter-of-factly, "You need to watch this, too. Please come in and sit down."

Timmy was visibly shaking, making his swollen hand hurt even more. He remembered what Vicky did, and said, the previous night. She glared at him and sinisterly whispered, "This better not be about who I think it is, or else your hand will be the least of your problems." Timmy just gulped.

Timmy's dad look at Vicky standing by him. "You know, a gentleman gives up his seat for a lady. Timmy, get up so she can sit."

She was not about to give him a chance to run. "It's OK, Mr. Turner, I want to stand. It's been a tense day. But can we hurry this up? I still have to get my sister," she said impatiently.

Wanda pushed PLAY and the title screen came on. "Terror in the Hallway. A story of karmic justice, paid for in part by the Cosma Foundation." Cosmo pulled out a tub of popcorn and munched away as the footage began. It showed everything that happened, starting when Tootie ran into Timmy, knocking him down. Showed her hugging him and him hugging back. Vicky noticed this and looked at Timmy, giving him a softened, remorseful look. All her fears about Timmy evaporated in that footage, and she inwardly cringed for not realizing how they were wrong to impute on him in the first place.

The movie continued with Croker grabbing Tootie and telling her to "Come along, little doggie," followed by her curling into a corner. Vicky's eyes filled with panic. _no no no no no_. Then came the part that Timmy didn't remember. Timmy grabbed Crocker and shoved him into the wall, leaving a minor dent. He then rammed his head into the nearby shatterproof window, cracking the glass. Then, he threw Crocker to the ground, kicking him over and over before leaning on his chest, punching his face over and over again. Blood was everywhere, and Timmy kept punching, strangely quiet; it was a cold fury that must have filled him, a cold methodical purpose – to kill the person that hurt Tootie. And it probably would have been successful, if not for Francis running up to him, pulling him off and restraining him.

When the movie ended, the two video "people" quietly took everything out, including the popcorn. Everything except for the DVD, which Wanda handed to Mr. Turner. Ms. Diamond was the first to speak. "I think this shows clearly what happened." She handed Mr. Turner the expulsion paperwork. He looked at it, then back at the principal, a fury of his own in his eyes.

"Yes, it is clear," he said calmly, but with a rising voice. "Your idiot teacher kept pushing a clearly upset girl to tears until somebody stood up for her, then that same idiot got what he had coming. You really think you can expel Timmy for stopping a bully? Go ahead. I'm sure the school board would be interested in all of this."

Ms. Diamond glared at the adult Turner. "You really think the school board would let him stay if you asked them?"

Turner was now fuming, turning visibly red. "I think they would give me your head on a platter if I ask them. And I think I will ask for that at the next meeting. This DVD should be very educational. In fact, I think Chet Ubecha would find it educational too." He stood up, about to leave.

Ms. Diamond gulped; she was in deep and she knew it. "I can't just let him stay here. Too many people saw what happened."

Mr. Turner continued his glare, knowing he won the day. "This is your mess. You clean it up."

Vicky had been forgotten about, and realized something at that moment; she didn't see Tootie in the office at all. She jumped in. "Where's Tootie?"

The principal, foolishly thinking she was now dealing with someone easier to intimidate, looked toward Vicky. "She's getting medical help. Nothing to worry about."

Vicky was not impressed. She leaned in closer, and spoke louder. "Where is she?"

Ms. Diamond was determined she was nto going to be intimidated by some 19 year old girl in a tank top. "She's fine. She is getting help now."

Vicky's pink eyes were glaring red, and nearby flowers wilted and turned to ash. "Last chance, bitch. WHERE IS SHE?" Vicky yelled. Timmy noticed Vicky's hand reaching to her back pocket. The one with the handle sticking out. The one she keeps her butterfly knife in.

Acting on nothing but instinct, because Timmy would not stop Vicky if he was thinking, he grabbed her wrist. "I know where she is. I'll take you to her."

Vicky looked at the hand on her wrist and started calming down. _How does he know … of course. He was comforting her a while ago._ The thought, so alien yet logical, popped in her head as she allowed him to lead her through the hallways to the two male paramedics with bleeding hands. One of them was calling his dispatcher. "She got my scalpel. … We can't sedate her. We can't get close to her … Hell, no, I'm not going to be a hero for nine bucks an hour."

Tootie was in the corner, holding the paramedics away, waving the scalpel. "I won't go. I won't be a good doggie. I won't," she kept screaming, gasping for air as she did so.

Vicky looked at Tootie and was holding back tears. She looked at Timmy, still trying to assess about the situation. "We need her to calm down enough to be sedated," she said, trying to sound calm and emotionless. "I think she'll let you get close to her, and I'll give the shot." The other paramedic was about to protest when she looked at him, the fire still in her eyes. He handed her the needle, wished her luck, then stood back.

Vicky spoke a little calmer, gripping her emotions a little more. "Tootie. It's me. Vicky. Timmy's here, too."

Timmy felt fear taking over. Tootie was panicked, and was now holding a weapon. He heard Cosmo whisper from his pocket, "Don't think about it. Just go." In all the chaos, he didn't realize his godparents were back with him.

Tootie stopped yelling and almost whispered out, "Vicky? Timmy?"

Timmy felt the fear trying to grip him, but he walked forward slowly anyway. "We're here, Tootie. Just put that down, we'll get through this. It'll be OK."

She lowered and then dropped the scalpel, making a loud clank. He walked closer to her as she started sobbing again. He came a little closer, this time, reaching out for her. She gripped her arms around him again, holding him as she kept crying. "I can't be a good doggie. Not again. I can't do it. I won't." She was shaking and it took all of his strength to not fall over. Vicky came closer, holding the needle.

Timmy looked into Tootie's tear-filled red eyes. "Vicky's going to give a little shot to help you better, OK? It'll be OK. Nobody's going to hurt you." When she nodded, Timmy took Tootie's left hand with his right one and held her arm out while Vicky gave her the shot. Tootie sobbed a little more, slowly falling asleep from the sedative.

The paramedics, with bandaged hands, came close again and carried her to the ambulance, not looking anyone in the eye. As she was being taken away, Mr. Turner and Ms. Diamond came up to them. She began. "You two are now officially trespassing, so get out of my school."

Vicky's fists clenched, then unclenched and she stormed out. Timmy left with Mr. Turner. As they went to the parking lot, nobody said anything. It was an eerie calm. Finally, when the Turners got to their car, Vicky spoke up.

"Mr. Turner, is it OK if I take Timmy to the hospital? He needs his hand looked at, and I know Tootie will want to see him." Strangely, there was none of the saccharine sweetness in her voice that she usually used to charm parents. Timmy forgot about his hand entirely in all that had happened. It started hurting again, and the swelling was still there. This did not take anything away from the apprehension of going somewhere with Vicky. _Why does she want me to go with her? What does she have planned for me? Is this revenge for needing my help? Does she think I did this to Tootie? But she watched the tape._

Mr. Turner looked at him and smiled. "Sure, Vicky. But let me talk to him first." He knelt down on one knee and put his arm on Timmy's shoulder.

"Son, I just wanted to tell you I'm proud of what you did today."

Timmy looked at his dad, a little confused. "Really?"

Mr. Turner nodded his head. "Well, maybe you defended that girl a little too aggressively, but someone was hurting and you were there for her. That takes a lot of courage and compassion. Now go, get your hand healed, and check up on her. Keep making your old man proud." They hugged, and then Timmy got into Vicky's car and looked at her. He felt a twinge of fear when he looked at her.

She was holding back some tears, but some more were rolling down her face. She started the car, then looked at Timmy sadly. "I'm sorry, Timmy."

He looked back at her, unsure of what to say. In the past thirty-six hours, he had seen almost every emotion the redhead had, including a few he didn't _know_ she could feel. "It's OK, Vicky. It's been a rough day. Let's just go see Tootie."

Vicky looked back at him. "Not just for today. For all I ever did to you." More tears were falling. "You're a good kid and I should have realized it." She sobbed, and then continued. "There's a part of me that knew this day was coming. I never wanted it to, but I knew it was coming."

Timmy felt a swirl of emotions, from fear to a desire to comfort. He slowly and dreadfully asked, "What day, Vicky?"

Vicky looked back him, no longer even trying to hold back tears. "The day I told you everything."


	4. Memory is a Tightening Noose

Welcome to Chapter 4. The usual disclaimers; I don't own the Fairly Odd Parents, or anything that I did not create, including any characters I don't tell you I made. For example, Howdy is my creation. The songs I use are mine, the bands are mine, and this story is mine.

For my readers, thank you for subscribing and reviewing and commenting. Answers, such as what happened to Tootie and why Vicky has been up and down the emotional spectrum are coming now. However …

This is very dark. Frankly, if you don't find this chapter to be disturbing, then to borrow Dennis Miller's words, "you've got to kill yourself. Lean into the strike zone and take one for the team."

Incidentally, in this chapter, when it comes to the flashbacks, Vicky is telling Timmy what is going on, but to keep this from being the chapter of her monologue, it will cut away to the past.

Chapter 4: Memory is a Tightening Noose (Vicky's Confession)

Timmy didn't know what to do. _What could be so bad it would make Vicky cry_? he thought with a shudder. He was sure he did not want to know. And based on what happened in the hallway, Tootie didn't want him to know, either.

He nervously spoke up. "Vicky, I'm OK with you not telling me."

Vicky looked away, still crying. This kid, this _twerp_ she babysat was seeing her at her absolute weakest point, and the fact that he wasn't scheming to take revenge was a small comfort to her, as well as a reminder that she had to continue. "No, you have to know," she sobbed. "You have to understand what you're in"

Timmy thought of a response, but could only see how tired she was, how broken down she was. His heart went out to both the Flanagan girls, who had been through too much today. He said in a low whisper, "I wish you and Tootie were both OK."

Nothing happened.

He checked his bag, to see an empty space where his pink eraser and green pencil were supposed to be. _Great time to leave._

Vicky started the car, and then continued. "It was seven years ago, before we moved here from Yreka. Our uncle Howdy lived with us, falling on hard times. I was jealous of Tootie. She was always his favorite. I didn't know why she was, but it always bugged me." She paused, then started sobbing again. "He always called her his good little doggie." She started crying hard, too hard to keep driving.

Timmy listened, then starting piecing it together. He thought of what Tootie was crying in the hallway, about not being a good doggie. As the horror of his realization was sinking in, he timidly responded, "Please. Tell me he didn't …" Timmy couldn't continue.

Vicky looked back at him. "Yeah. He did." After a minute of silence, Vicky wiped away her eyes, then started driving again.

Timmy felt ill; how could someone do that to Tootie; hell, anybody that age? "So what did you parents do when she told them?" he asked, hoping to hear something positive. Something like putting him in jail or an unmarked grave.

Vicky started tearing up again, but kept driving, wiping away tears. "That's where it gets worse."

(seven years ago)

"Tootie!" Mrs. Flanagan growled. "Those are horrible things you are accusing your uncle of. I know him, and he would never do such things to a little girl." She then slapped her face. "You will go to your room, and then when your Uncle Howdy comes home, you will apologize to him for making up such things!" She then turned to Vicky. "And you, you must have taught her those words and things. You are going to do a better job of watching what you say around her, young lady!"

Tootie cried in horror. "But mommy, I'm not making this up! He really made me do those things!"

Mrs. Flanagan slapped her face again. "No more of these lies!" she screamed. "Go to your room now!"

Tootie cried, from both being called a liar and the slaps, running to her bedroom, then laid in the room and cried.

(today)

Timmy sat in shock. Parents just aren't supposed to believe their own kids would make things like that up, especially Tootie. He lowered his head, trying to hold back tears of empathy on his friend's behalf.

Vicky broke the silence. "And believe it or not, it gets worse."

(seven years ago)

Vicky came up to Tootie's room, where she was still crying.

"You ingrateful little bitch!" Vicky yelled at her sister. "You're his favorite, the one he adores, the one he always wants to spend time with, and you make up such evil things about Uncle Howdy!"

Tootie kept crying, flabbergasted that nobody would believe her, not even her own sister. "I'm not making this up, Vicky. I swear."

Vicky's anger grew even hotter. "Give it up, Tootie! Nobody believes your stories. Uncle Howdy would never do anything like that. You've always been his good little doggie. You know, if _I_ was his favorite, I would be nicer to him." Vicky slammed the door, confident in sticking up for her uncle.

(today)

Vicky pulled over again and started bawling loudly again. Timmy leaned over to try to hug Vicky, comfort her in some way, to be there. She pushed him away and he slammed against the passenger door.

"No! I deserve this!" she yelled through her crying. "She's my little sister. I was supposed to protect her, not turn against her like that. I mean, what the hell was wrong with me? She was six! What kind of six-year-old even knows about those things, let alone would lie about them?"

Timmy spoke up softly. "You were twelve. Parents are supposed to be right. You didn't know."

Vicky wiped away a few tears before talking again while putting the car back on the road. She continued slowly. "Well, I found out the worst way that she wasn't lying."

(seven years ago)

Vicky came home from school early. The assembly ended early, and she was happy to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, even if it was raining. She came home, closing the door quietly. She was trying to be more polite, make her parents happy. She saw her Uncle Howdy's coat on the couch and Tootie's coat, and thought she heard his voice in the kitchen. She quietly went to the kitchen and quietly opening the door, planning to surprise him.

What she saw horrified her.

(today)

"I saw the whole thing. How he humiliated her, used her, violated her. He didn't see me, and her eyes were closed as she was crying. The worst part was how he thought it was a joke, how he kept calling her a good doggie the whole time. He even …" Vicky stopped, sobbing, trying to breathe. "He even made her bark."

Timmy sat in absolute pain and rage. _Fuck Da Rules, I'm gonna take this guy out myself! And if Cosmo and Wanda won't do it, I'll go to Jorgen. Even Anti-Cosmo would do it._

Timmy took a deep breath. "So what did you do?"

Vicky pulled over then lowered her head. "Not a damn thing," she whispered. "I was scared and in shock. I was a coward. I was weak, and my sister was raped – again – because of it!"

He put her hand in his. "Listen. You were twelve. You didn't know what to do."

She looked back at him, not flinching at Timmy. "Oh, but I knew what to do later. I didn't protect her, but I could sure as hell avenge her."

(seven years ago)

The rest of the house was asleep; Vicky wasn't. The thunderstorm was raging outside, but she didn't notice. She could not get the storm of images out of her head, of Tootie so helpless, of her uncle abusing her, of their parents not believing her._ Even I didn't believe you. I'm so sorry, Tootie._

She went downstairs to try to think of something, anything to make her uncle stop, when she saw him in the kitchen, cutting off some roast beef with the butcher knife. Emboldened by righteous anger, she walked up to him. "You're going to stop," she said coldly.

Uncle Howdy smiled back at her. "Vicky. Did you want a sandwich, too?" he cheerfully asked.

Vicky looked back at him, eyes blazing. "I know what you've done to Tootie, and you're going to stop. Now."

Howdy laughed. "Oh, that. But I got my little doggie trained so well." He stopped chuckling and smiled widely. "You know, she doesn't even fight it anymore. She just does what she's told."

Vicky felt anger growing, so strongly, she thought her heart would burst. She growled out, "Whatever. You're done. And you're gonna leave tomorrow morning." She didn't know how she was going to enforce her new command, but she had all night to think of a way.

Howdy laughed louder. "No can do, Vicky. I'm hosting a party this weekend. I want to see how my doggie does with my friends." She stared at him in horror as he continued. "But hey, you can play with her too, if you want."

"WHAT?" she said, in absolute shock.

"I know you were watching us earlier today." He smiled wickedly at her. "If it bothered you, you would have stopped me. Or maybe, " he stepped closer, "you want a piece of the action." She stared at him, trying to decide whether to punch him or vomit. "You know, I'm sure I can train my doggie to get a taste of some kitty."

Vicky listened to that in horror and shock; he not only admitted that he was doing horrible things to Tootie, but now bragged about more things he was planning. Vicky's mind was flooded; he had to be stopped and stopped now. But parents won't help. She looked and saw the butcher knife on the counter. She didn't think about it; she just grabbed it and stabbed her Uncle Howdy in the chest while he was laughing. The speed and shock prevented him from stopping her before the blade went in. She screamed, howling in fury, hating him, hating her parents, hating herself. She kept stabbing, kept screaming, kept stabbing, kept screaming. He slumped down and hit the ground, dead and bleeding, and she kept stabbing. He hit the ground facedown, and she stabbed his back repeatedly. Vicky was beyond reason; her only plan was to hurt him and stop him.

Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan came running down, wanting to know why she was screaming. She looked at them staring at her in a kitchen covered in Howdy's blood, with Vicky in the middle of the room, covered in Howdy's blood, and eyes filled with fury and determination.

She held the knife and walked toward them slowly and steadily, a deadly calm overtaking her. "There are going to be changes around here."

(today)

Timmy was scared. He knew Vicky had a mean streak, even experienced some of that psychotic rage the night before, but never imagined she would go that far, or could go that far. _Then again, I was thinking about it myself._

Vicky looked at him, sensing the fear. "I wasn't planning on doing that. I just wanted to make him stop hurting her. I hardened that day. My parents saw that, and they were scared. And served them right. Their daughter was in trouble and they did nothing. That's why I took over that night. I made them dump the body in a ditch and sell the house, bringing us here."

She wiped a few tears away, but seemed to be calming down a little more, enough to start driving again. "I swore I would protect her from everybody that would hurt her. Even with everything that happened to her, she's always been so sweet and kind, I guess I wanted to harden her so nobody could hurt her again. It worked, for a while. But then something went wrong. Something even I couldn't control."

He looked at he, confused. "What went wrong?" he asked, hesitantly.

For the first time since this started, she smiled. "You."

(four years ago)

Tootie came home from school, smiling. Her parents looked back at her and returned the smile. _If we stay nice to Tootie, Vicky won't hurt us_, they kept thinking. Vicky glared at the adults. "How was school, honey?" Mr. Flanagan asked.

Tootie kept smiling. "It was great. There was this mean bully who tried to pick on me, but this boy with a pink cap and buck teeth came to my rescue." Vicky scowled at the word _boy_.

Vicky asked her, "So what happened to him?"

Tootie kept smiling. "He got beat up. But he rescued me, my knight in shining armor."

(today)

Timmy remembered that. He thought nothing of it at the time, except for a bully picking on a little girl. _Man, I had no idea what trouble I was getting into._ "Um, sorry?" he meekly responded.

Vicky smiled again. "That's why I hated you. I wanted to run you off." Her smile went away, replaced by tearing up again. "I thought if I was mean enough, you'd stay away from her. I just saw you as someone who wanted to hurt Tootie."

Timmy looked directly in her bloodshot eyes. "I would never hurt her," he stated solemnly. "I swear."

Vicky met his gaze. "I know that now. You know, not even our father, joke that he was, could get close to her after …" she paused. "You're the only male that she can touch without flinching. I looked at you through the eyes of the scared twelve-year-old who failed her little sister and couldn't fail her again. I'm sorry, Timmy."

He wanted to look away, do something, do anything. "I understand." The car ride was silent after that, for a couple minutes. Then he worked up the courage to ask, "Where are your parents?"

Vicky thought for a second, and then decided to tell him. "When I turned eighteen, I made them sign over the house and custody to me. They get to start over, screwing up whatever life they are now. Good riddance. Of course, there is a charity that helps out with some of the cash, some foundation I never heard of. Not that it matters." She stopped talking until they arrived to the hospital. She looked back at him, praying he wasn't overwhelmed. "Listen, if you just want to go, I'll understand. I'll tell Tootie you couldn't make it. I know this is a lot to dump on someone your age."

He kept walking forward. "Tootie needs us. Where else can I go?"


	5. Lights in the Tunnel

Usual disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the original characters and the music I use. In this chapter, the fairy Igor is my creation.

Hopefully, a lot of questions about Vicky and Tootie have been answered in the last chapter.

Hotshot: Very valid concerns, and Tootie's ability to open up to Timmy is going to be one of the more prominent themes starting … now. As for his ability to help her through the trauma, he has been a big help already; he just doesn't know about it yet.

Again, please read and review. I will answer the questions that I can answer without revealing too much.

Before I begin, one last thing. Writing this has been an emotionally intense experience. I took a break from it and wrote a light hearted tale about Timmy, called The Lock. Read it when you need a good chuckle.

Chapter 5: Lights in the Tunnel (Love is NOT a Razor)

Cupid was sitting in his office, mapping out the routes for the Valentine's Day runs; it was four months away, but he liked to stay ahead of the situation. After all, planning was the key to making love work. As he was making new paths for the bombers, someone stormed into his office. He recognized the fairy immediately; it was Igor, one who was denied a godchild.

"Vat business did you have denying my godchild?" he demanded, anger flowing from his voice freely.

Cupid looked back and him and calmly retorted, "He is not your godchild. Only a possibility. Sometimes, you have to think of the big picture, not just whether the child is miserable."

Igor pounded on his desk. "Big picture? The Council OK's it, but you decide to veto them because of some imaginary 'Big Picture'? It is our job to grant wishes." He hit the desk again for emphasis.

Cupid was unaffected by the display; he had gone through this before. "It's YOUR job to grant wishes. Unfortunately, it's my job to sometimes refuse them. Let me tell you a story. A while ago, there was a young girl, gone through horrible things. Evil things. Things even the anti-fairies would never do. The Council voted to give her fairies. I had to veto them, and tell those godparents that even though she is miserable, the Big Picture requires that she not have them. It was a hard call to make, much harder than this one, but I still had to make it." Igor stood silently. Cupid continued, his voice raising slightly. "So don't you dare come in here, lecturing me about what my job is. Now get out before I have my lovebirds remove you."

Igor left without saying a word.

Cupid told him the truth; what he didn't say was that he made that tough call seven years ago, and there hadn't been a day since that he did not shed a tear when Tootie Flanagan came to mind.

Walking into Dimmsdale Emergency Hospital made Timmy queasy. The white walls with paintings of orange trees, the aura of sickness, and the insistence of so many of the patients to walk around in bare feet would have affected him on a normal day. Knowing everything about what happened to Tootie was just adding to the sensations of nausea. His heart wept as he thought about what she must be going through right now. He even felt guilty for turning her away all those years; he hadn't realized what he meant to her and it was less than a day ago that he started to realize what she meant to him.

Vicky went to the check-in desk and got the visitor passes for the two of them, as well as an ice pack for his hand. He kept thinking about Tootie and how he would be relating to her now. _What's she going to do when she finds out I know? Should I tell her? What if I can't be enough for her? What if I can't do this? She's been through so much, I can't hurt her, but what if I do? Should I tell her about my fairy godparents? Can they help her? And then there's Vicky. She's been through so much too, but she's keeping it all inside. How do I help her? Will she kill me if Tootie gets hurt? Of course she would, she almost did last night. Why are these walls closing in on me? What do I do?_

Vicky came back to him. "Here's your pass." She handed the pass to him, then continued in a soft, but commanding voice. "She's on the sixth floor, but first, you need your hand looked at."

Timmy shook his head. "I want to see Tootie first. I need to know she's OK."

Vicky opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it; he was determined to not abandon the girl he cares so much about – never mind that she was safe in the hospital bed – and Vicky knew from experience that when Timmy is determined, Timmy gets his way. She nodded and they took the elevator.

The elevator was going slowly, stopping on every floor, while the easy listening version of the song "Light in the Tunnel" was playing. Without realizing it, the two started singing the lyrics softly.

_You're sitting in the tunnel  
__Cold, frightened, in a daze  
__Even your shadow has  
__Abandoned you for brighter ways  
__I wait outside the tunnel_

_Keeping this torch burning bright  
__Begging you to hear me  
__Calling you to walk toward the light_

The elevator finally reached the sixth floor and they departed, going to the desk. After filling out more paperwork, the two went to Room 612, where Tootie was slowly starting to wake up. Timmy checked the door when he saw her, until he realized, _Of course. I've never seen her without her glasses on. Is this hospital somehow making me more stupider_?

Vicky walked in. "Knock knock, little sis. You got visitors." Tootie smiled when he heard the voice, but it was clear she was still tired.

Vicky and Timmy walked in and immediately, Timmy looked away. She was a little confused until she realized she was wearing a hospital gown, which was not very concealing. She covered up with the blanket, then smiled. "OK, Timmy, you can look now."

He turned back, and looked at her face while she looked back at him. "Timmy," she said slowly. "You look a little … blurry." He laughed.

"Um, sorry?" he chuckled. He was just going to assume that she was being silly and not just being confused. He then heard a light "poof" sound and knew his godparents were back in his pockets, as pencil and eraser. _Finally!_

Tootie's face got more serious. She had some explaining to do, but didn't want to say too much. "Um, Timmy, about this morning, it, well, I guess it's hard to explain."

Vicky debated this moment from when she walked in the hospital. How would she handle this? She decided that since she had been honest with Timmy, she should be with her sister, too. No matter how heartbreaking it would be. She looked at Tootie and told her, "I told him everything."

Tootie looked at her, a mixture of anguish and anger contorting her face. Finally, she started crying and yelling, "How could you!"

Vicky looked truly upset. "He had the right to know. Look, he went to bat for you and got expelled for it. It's not like he's not in this anyway."

Tootie looked back at her, glaring through her tears. "Don't you get it? He'll never love me now! He knows I'm not pure!" She broke out in tears, and Vicky was pushed away when she tried to comfort her.

Timmy walked to the bed and took Tootie's hands in his, feeling her grip them, resonating pain in his right hand. "Look at me," he said to her calmly. When she did, he continued in the same calm voice. "Vicky told me what happened on the way here, and I'm still here. You're the same Tootie to me that you were this morning and last night at the dance. That didn't change."

She started to smile at what he said, until she realized _how_ he said it. "So what did change?"

He matched her gaze, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand. "I know how to be there for you. I know what to say and not say to you, and I even know that your sister is not just a psychopath." He looked at Vicky. "No offense."

Vicky smiled back, "None taken."

Timmy looked back at Tootie's eyes and continued, "So don't worry about what I can and cannot feel because you're still the same wonderful girl." She stopped crying.

A few seconds passed before a nurse walked in. "Vicky Flanagan, I need to speak with you for a minute."

Vicky looked at the two. "I got to make sure they don't lose your paperwork. I don't want them to try to take out your appendix again."

Timmy looked confused. "They tried to take out your appendix before?"

Tootie chuckled. "Twice. Once when I came in for a flu shot and once when I sprained my ankle."

Vicky went with the nurse to the nurse's station where the nurse glared at her. "We got the paperwork saying Tootie's hospital bills would be covered. We also got orders to send them the bill for her friend's hand x-rays. Some kid named Timmy Turner. Is that him?"

Vicky looked confused. How did that foundation even know about him? _She_ didn't say anything. "Yes, that's him. That going to be an issue?"

The nurse continued. "There is another matter. One of our other patients was brutally assaulted this morning and claims it was this boy that did it. The police are here to arrest him."

Vicky's eyes started raging again. "Well, I know what happened, and whatever this assault claim may be, it was that man that caused the problems. So he will not be getting arrested. Are we clear on this?"

The nurse looked back at her, unaffected. "Miss Flanagan, I am a nurse at this hospital, and wherever my sympathies may lie, I cannot allow it to interfere with my duties. Because of that, I cannot tell you that the x-rays would be done on the eighth floor, nor can I say that the police officers are there now, and I certainly cannot mention that because he is now technically a patient that he cannot be arrested until the x-rays are done. Most importantly, I am not allowed to tell you that the easiest way to solve this problem would be to go to the third floor to have the x-rays done there under the name of Tiberius Turner and then leave right away and that the hospital would call it a clerical error and bill your foundation."

Vicky smiled and turned around toward Tootie's room.

The nurse called out, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Miss Flanagan."

Vicky went back into Tootie's room, where Timmy and Tootie were just looking at each other. "Time to go, twerp," she blurted out. "The cops are here and we need to have your hand checked out and out of here."

Timmy leaned down and kissed Tootie's forehead. "Get better soon, OK?" She smiled, her face reddening.

They took the stairs to the third floor and went in the x-ray room.

Timmy started, "I'm here to have my hand checked."

The clerk looked at the two, bored. "Name, and why I care?" he said in a monotonous voice.

Before Timmy could respond, Vicky blurted out, "Tiberius Turner." Timmy looked shocked at her, but said nothing.

The clerk looked at her and asked in the same monotone, "Was John Doe too hard to remember? Let's get this done."

X-rays were completed, and Timmy was fitted for a cast, after discovering that there were two broken bones in his hand. Curiously, one of them seemed to be caused by constant impacts, while another broke more recently from constant squeezing pressure.

When Timmy got home, he saw a note from his parents saying they were gone out to dinner. Nothing new to him. He went upstairs, where his godparents took their true forms. He then looked at them.

"Where were you guys when Vicky was taking me to the hospital?" he asked inquisitively.

Cosmo and Wanda looked at each other before answering at the same time, "We had paperwork to do." Which was technically true.

Timmy looked back at them, and decided to believe them. He had other things to think about anyway. "Well, it's just so overwhelming. I mean, just last night I was letting myself have feelings for her, and now here I am."

Cosmo chimed in. "Yeah, it is so sad what happened to Tootie, and to Vicky, too."

Wanda nodded, along with Timmy. He then suddenly looked back at both of them. "How did you know about what happened?"

Wanda jumped in, "Well, sport, Vicky told you, how would we not overhear it?"

Timmy's eyes were burning hot now, about to shoot fire. "Because you weren't there. You couldn't have overheard." He stepped closer to them.

That's when he started piecing it together. Why Wanda seemed concerned. How they knew to have the footage there. Why Cosmo was staying strangely uncomical, why Cosmo wanted the tape turned off that morning. He looked at them again, with a horrified look on his face. "You knew. You knew this whole time."

Wanda matched his gaze. "Yes, Timmy. We did know. And it's the real reason we were assigned to you."


	6. Reasons

I'm getting lots of people interested, but not a lot of reviews, feedback, or questions.

Hotshot: You're assuming too much about Cupid's actions. The only thing Cupid did was deny Tootie fairy godparents; he had a good reason for it (at least, he believes he does), but it still was a tough decision, and one that he will be answering Timmy for soon (But again, not yet).

The godparent's explanation is coming now, as well as some relief from the darkness – but don't get too comfortable, as we will be returning to it again soon.

Chapter 6: Reasons (The Third Kind of Lie)

Timmy looked at Wanda, both confused and angry. _They lied to me,_ he thought bitterly. _They. Lied. To. Me._ "What do you mean, the real reason?" he accusingly asked. "You told me it was because Vicky made me miserable."

Wanda inwardly chided herself; this was venturing off into territory she was not prepared to go into yet. _He knows too much. This is all happening too soon! What do we do now?_ Before she could answer, Cosmo jumped in. "That's true, too," he excitedly said. "And if we hadn't come along, you would be bitter right now." He went over to Timmy's closet and pulled out the clothes. The hats, the shirts, the pants, the socks, all incorporating pink in some way. "All this bright color, it would all been as black as your heart would have been. And while you would have been sulking here, Tootie would have been dealing with this all alone."

Timmy looked at the clothes, then back at Cosmo. Timmy smirked. "Sorry, not buying it. She would still have kept chasing me, I'm sure." Even as he said that, he began to think of how … sad that would be. He was only now starting to appreciate her, and had to be pushed into it. What would have happened if his godparents weren't around to distract him from his suffering for the past three years?

"And you think that would be a good thing?" Cosmo retorted, looking a little angry. "For a girl like her to keep being rejected, and then to go through this alone?"

Timmy looked down and answered softly, "No."

Cosmo continued, his voice staying uncharacteristically serious. "Now, she, and even Vicky, are not alone in their suffering anymore." He thought in his head of how to continue, but decided against it; he didn't want to put too much on Timmy.

He looked at both godparents for several moments. Then, he hesitantly said, "There's just one question I need to know, and," he paused and smiled. "I wish that you would answer it truthfully."

Cosmo and Wanda were visibly concerned. _This is it!_ She thought. _The one thing I was dreading, and it's coming now!_ Nevertheless, they knew Da Rules; they waved their wands, making a pink cloud of THE WHOLE TRUTH. Timmy looked at them and asked, "Why didn't you tell me this? Why did I have to hear about it from Vicky?"

_WHEW!_ the godparents thought simultaneously. Wanda answered, "For one thing, it wasn't our secret to tell. You know that Tootie didn't want you to know what happened to her."

Timmy interjected, "But why? I mean, she didn't do anything wrong. Why did she think I would turn against her?"

Cosmo smiled at his godson's comment; it was a tribute to his good nature that he couldn't even conceive of the idea of blaming Tootie. He looked at Timmy, his voice at its normal pitch. "That's more common than you think. You have to remember that not only did her uncle abuse her; he broke her down to the point that she stopped trying to stop him. Nobody believed her, so her little six-year-old mind thought that she must have done something wrong."

Timmy's heart was filling with rage and pain again. He glared at them, his anger directed toward the monster Howdy. "That monster!" he blurted out.

Cosmo continued, putting his hand on Timmy's shoulder. "It's also common for girls who have suffered like she did to believe that everything else thinks that way, too. So Tootie was afraid you would think of her as …"

Timmy looked back at Cosmo again, his heart softening. "Broken? Damaged?"

Cosmo sadly shook his head. "A slut."

Timmy's eyes widened. "What? Why would anyone think that way?" _And if anyone says that about her, I'll make Vicky's Dungeon Dayz look like a pleasure cruise._

Cosmo smiled. "I don't know. I just know that there are some boys who would, and she was afraid you would be one of them. She knows better, and now I think she can start healing, since she has you to confide in."

Timmy thought for a few seconds, before Wanda started speaking, compelled by Timmy's wish. "The other reason was because it would affect how you feel about her."

"I would never turn against her like that!" Timmy indignantly interjected.

Wanda smiled. "Not like that. The opposite. If you were told this even a few weeks ago, you would have tried to force yourself to feel something for her, but it would have been pity, something she doesn't need. By finding out only after you started accepting feeling for her, that variable is gone. Your reaction is genuine, not forced."

Timmy laid down, physically exhausted, mentally exhausted, and the codeine taking effect. "I suppose you two are right. But what do I do now?"

Before Wanda could answer, Cosmo jumped in. "Go with your instinct. It's where you are strongest. But tomorrow, the new movie comes out."

Timmy had forgotten all about the new Crimson Chin: Sunrise in Darkness City movie coming out, or that he was going to the first showing at sunrise. "Can I really go, though? Tootie might need me."

Wanda smiled. _Time to learn balance_. "Well, we can make sure she'll be OK tomorrow morning. You go, relax, take in the sights."

Cosmo jumped in, "And bring home popcorn. You know how I love that stuff."

Wanda glared disapprovingly. "I thought you were on a diet, Cosmo."

Cosmo smirked. "Of course I am," he contemptuously sneered. "But I need the popcorn to have the strength to carry on with it." As the snuggled into the fishbowl castle together, he said, "I'll set the alarm to go off at 4:30."

Wanda yelled back, "No, you idiot. I'll do it!"

Timmy faded to sleep, letting his thoughts flow over him. A stray thought occurred to him. _Wait, why didn't …_ but he fell asleep even before the thought completed.

Veronica was fuming. It was bad enough not catching the eye of the pink-hatted Timmy because Trixie Tang was in the way, but now it seemed he settled for someone even lower down the popularity chart than him. This was unacceptable; now, she was being lowered because of the fight with Trixie. Something had to be done.

The blonde dug through search engines, looking for something to use. She took her notes of that day, who said what and when, and noticed something strange; Timmy was more popular. His beating of Mr. Crocker got people's attention, and it was all positive. But it was his helping of that _harlot in the corner_ that really seemed to secure things. _And may be the key to all of this_, she thought to herself.

A few hours (and a few energy drinks, laced with traces of cocaine) passed, and she finally found something on the police blotter. _That's it!_ she thought to herself. _This will get me that loser, take down Trixie, and destroy that little tramp he was dancing with all at once. Then no one will ever forget the name of Trix …, er, Veronica!_ She let out an evil laugh and lightning cracked in the sky.


	7. The Best Disinfectant

Thank you for reading, everyone, but I would appreciate it if there was more feedback, or questions. I want to make sure I am being clear about what is happening and not leaving any unintentional dangling threads.

Hotshot: Veronica found _something_. Don't presume it is about what happened to Tootie, but she is very close. Wait a couple chapters, and it will make sense. I'm not aware of what Trixie did for Tootie, except for having Timmy dance with her. Veronica is thinking along the lines that she's always wanted Timmy, but couldn't have him because he was drawn to Trixie. Trixie being the queen bee, Veronica accepted that as just the way it was. But now, Timmy has, in the crazy blonde's eyes, settled for someone even lower down the chart than him and even worse, Trixie defended them – and did not suffer for it. When you factor in her emotional stability (keep in mind that out of all the girls Timmy knows – including stalker Tootie and chainsaw-wielding Vicky, Veronica was who he called, "the crazy one."), it will not end well.

Now, for chapter 7, and time to bring some sunshine into the day

Chapter 7: The Best Disinfectant (Himitsu Wo Shiri Tai)

As AJ approached his house, he smiled. This was going to be a good morning.

The Saturday started off pretty good already; he went with his friends Timmy and Chester to see the new Crimson Chin movie, had a good breakfast at the Cake & Bacon, and got a ticket to the new documentary coming out that night, How Fracking Will Save America and Bring a World of Puppies and Kittens. Even the minor distraction waiting for him at his house would not be a problem. But then again, he enjoyed having Vicky as a babysitter.

Sure, she was petty and sadistic (though more toward Timmy than toward him), but she was also a walking contradiction. She loves money, but chooses hard jobs to get them. She hates children, but wants to run a daycare when she's older. She craves power, but pursues subservient positions. Ever since AJ got bored with mastering chemistry, physics, biology, bacteriology, archaeology, and most of the other hard sciences, he decided to try out psychology. Understanding the human mind became a source of fascination for him, especially with an interesting and unaware test subject.

The fact that he is attracted to tall redheads and she wears skirts that show off her long legs, of course, has nothing to do with his desire to study her. Scientifically. In the name of science.

AJ walked in his house, prepared for whatever Vicky was going to dish out. What he found instead was Vicky, sitting on the couch, holding a list, but passively watching the weather report. She looked at him, clearly tired; the usual fire in her eyes was missing, the cruel glee of being a taskmaster missing. She just handed him a list of chores and went back to the enthralling report on the clouds that were going to be coming to Dimmsdale someday.

AJ looked over the list; it looked like she got bored because all she wrote was, "DO YOUR CHORES." Usually, she has a full list waiting to be unscrolled, complete with graphic drawings of what will happen if the jobs weren't done. _Whatever happened with Tootie yesterday has seriously traumatized her psyche. Clearly, she is but a shell of her true self. Look at those pink eyes of hers, lacking the very drive that sustains her. Her heartbeat is steady, so she's not ill. Her breathing is normal, but distant, barely rising her titt … er, chest._

Vicky looked back at him and said, in a tired voice, "If you're done staring at my boobs, you got work to do, baldie. I have to leave at noon, so get to it."

AJ thought about just leaving, but kept looking at her. He _could_ just do his work, grateful for his babysitter's lack of interest in causing pain, but he chose not to. After all, Vicky was in a new state. He had to explore it. In the name of science, of course.

So, instead, he just asked in a plain voice, "You picking up Tootie at lunch?"

Vicky sat right up, her eyes starting to get back that familiar fire. She growled at him, "And how did you know about Tootie?"

AJ took a step back, but continued in his plain analytical voice, "The whole school knew about it. It happened in front of us. I don't know what Crocker did that freaked her out so bad, but I don't think he'll do it again." He felt a sense of pride in Timmy's actions.

Vicky suppressed a smile, all in the name of staying angry. "Yeah, well, you don't need to know." She then calmed down; after all, this bald kid was just trying to be nice. "Yeah, I'm getting her at lunch. She's OK now." Then she paused for a second. A thought occurred to her. A horrible thought. _Timmy. _

_What did Timmy tell him? What did he tell everybody? He knows my weakness. He knows everything and has the perfect chance to destroy me. It's four years of revenge he's got stored up. What if he destroys Tootie? Would he hurt her to get to me? Maybe even payback for all the staking she's done? Why did I tell him all that?_

AJ watched her again, seeing her face changing to pain and fear. He stepped a little closer to her. "What's going on, Vicky?" he asked.

The voice shocked her back to reality, and she grew more defensive. How much to ask before revealing too much? She had to know what Timmy told him. She tried to put on a saccharine-sweet voice and asked him, "Didn't Timmy tell you?"

AJ hadn't been told. But he figured out enough; some trauma affected Tootie, Timmy helped her, and Vicky didn't know what to do now. This was his perfect chance to learn more about the redhead, to answer some of the questions of how her mind worked. In the name of science, of course.

He answered her plainly, "No. He told me they weren't his secrets to share. All he could tell me was that Tootie was OK and that he wouldn't be back to school for a while, so he needed us to watch over her until he got back." Feeling bold, he came a little closer to her; an opportunity like this could not be wasted. "Now, for my question. How are you doing?"

Vicky was taken aback, and a little offended. She was relieved that Timmy did not take his golden opportunity to inflict pain – making her regret her false assumptions about him even more – but _how dare you ask me how I am! It doesn't matter how I am! I deserve every piece of guilt for this! If I believed her, she wouldn't be in the hospital now! DON'T YOU FUCKING GET IT! I DESERVE THIS AND WORSE!_

She tried to calm down, to hide her rage before it showed too much, then screamed out, "I'M FINE! PERFECTLY FINE! COULDN'T BE BETTER!"

He dryly looked at her. "Well, you don't seem fine." Feeling bold, he sat on the couch next to her. "Whatever's going on, it's been bottled up for a while now. Now, I don't know the whole story, and I don't need to know." He paused. _Dare I go on? Yes._ "But I know that yesterday, something changed, and it has shaken you to the core. And I think I know what it is."

Vicky looked at him, scared. What has he figured out? She had to keep her composure. "What is that?" she asked, her voice quivering.

He looked into her eyes. "You've been protecting Tootie for a couple years now, and I think even longer than that. Am I right?" She nodded, and then he continued. "That role has defined you for quite some time, and I don't know if Timmy has been a threat to you because Tootie liked him or because he liked her."

Vicky stopped him. "Wait a minute. That happened, what, yesterday? They danced together a couple nights ago, but he's always ran away from her. I had to buy her shoes every month because she wore them out."

AJ smiled. "No, the dance is when he accepted what his heart has been trying to say for a while now." When she looked confused, he continued. "I've known Timmy long enough to read his actions."

Vicky retorted, "And I don't know his actions?"

AJ chuckled. "His actions, not his physical breaking points." Vicky was actually … impressed by that comment. _This kid knows how to go just far enough to make a joke without me killing him_. He finished his thoughts. "When Tootie chases, Timmy runs. But every time she took a step back, he took a step forward. Of course, I speak Timmy-ese, so maybe I have an unfair advantage."

Vicky's mind was thinking about too many things, so she just said, "Timmy-ese?"

AJ's voice went into a lecturing mode. "Yes. When Timmy told us Tootie was not as weird as she seemed, we knew he thought highly of her. When he told us she was his friend, that meant he was thinking of her as more than a friend. And I'm sure he's going to hate me saying this, but you're too cute to not tell you …" he paused. He wanted to see if she caught his sentence. In the name of science, of course.

She fought the urge to blush._ Is he flirting with me? This is starting to turn into one of those movies on The Womyn's Channel. No, I'm reading too much into this._ She smiled and said, in a friendly voice, "My secret is beauty sleep and bathing in the blood of the innocent."

He laughed out loud at the joke, before quickly switched back to lecturing. "Anyway, Miss Bathery, while we were eating breakfast this morning, he told he was realizing he's had feeling for her."

She looked a little puzzled. "And that is Timmy-ese for …?"

AJ smiled. "I'm going to marry her someday."

That evening, Ms. Diamond was going through the movie options. So far, she was grimacing at her choices; they were between a tale about a disobedient whale, a band of children trying to overthrow a ruler who brought peace to the land, and a time-traveller seducing a naïve woman while making sure that better rulers never took power or brought order. Maybe she needed to read a book about a just society stopping a rebel from trying to corrupt it. As she picked up her copy of 1984, she got a text. All it said was TURN ON NEWS. NOW! The number was unknown, but it seemed urgent, so she obeyed to see the familiar face of Chet Ubetcha.

"This is Chet Ubetcha saying, this is a developing story. Turns out the school board is having an emergency meeting tomorrow night to discuss a student expulsion. Normally this would wait a few weeks, but it's been moved up to a rare Sunday night meeting. You see on this video that this buck-toothed pink-hatted boy, whose name is being withheld for privacy reasons, was expelled when he defended a fellow student from local nutjob Denzel Crocker. Now, serious allegations about not only him but the principal, Ms. Diamond, are being raised. An anonymous tip from a source that would only call himself, or herself, Deep Toot revealed these developments to us."

"Oh, so this Deep Toot thinks he can cause chaos in my school, does he? Time for him to learn what happens when you try to break Diamond!"


	8. I See the Tip of the Iceberg

No questions or comments about the last chapter. Am I that good, or have you lowered your standards? Either way, once again, I don't own most of the characters. I do own Ms. Diamond, but that's it.

Sometimes, I think this story is writing me, more than I am writing it. I had no intention of doing a chapter like this – ever – but this was something that needed to be told. Part of my alternate timeline involves Wishology, sans Poof, and something in particular has had a significant impact on Timmy. I was just going to hint at it, but it's a big enough deal to tell you about instead. This one is short, but I think you'll like it.

Chapter 8: I See the Tip of the Iceberg (From Darkness, Light)

(one year ago)

"It doesn't matter!" Timmy yelled to everyone. "Wherever I go, the Darkness will find me. This is the only way to save my friends and family!" As nervous as he was, his conviction was firm; it had to be stopped, and this was the only way. It wanted him. He climbed up the line of friends, family, and enemies, not stopping to talk to them. If he slowed down, they would try to talk him out of it, and he might listen.

The last person was Trixie, and he thought about kissing her, but there was no time. Every second he delayed was a second that those very people were at risk. He jumped toward the Darkness that was calling his name.

As he sped upward, he thought about the people he would never see again. _My parents may not have been perfect, but they raised me right. Chester and A.J., they were my friends in low places, and they made the bottom of the popularity ladder a less lonely place. Trixie, I kind of feel bad for her. So many admire her, but how many know her burden? It can be lonely at the top, too. Cosmo and Wanda helped me with so many things, from not studying to making me grow up a little bit. I hope their next godkid gives them a break. All those who stood by me, even Vicky in her own evil way, are here._

_Wait. Not all. One is missing._

He turned away from the Darkness he was approaching and looked at the people there.

_Tootie's not here. She's safe at home, no idea that I'm sacrificing myself. Good. If she was here, she would try to stop me, or worse, follow me. She would doom herself to make sure I wasn't doomed alone. She's been more loyal to me than anyone, and I was a jerk to her for her reward. She deserves better than that. Deserves better than what I've given her. I'm glad she's not here, but I wish she was. So I can make things right. I can't do it now, but I can do something._

Just before being swallowed by the Darkness, he screamed out to the people watching, "Tell Tootie I'm sorry!"

(today)

Tootie was nervous. She was glad to be home from the hospital, and glad that she wouldn't have to go to school until she was ready, and even though Vicky's lobster and liver stroganoff was atrocious, glad to be able to relax. But those thoughts of comfort evaporated when she thought of Timmy.

From the dance to the breakdown to the hospital, he had been there. He knew her past, her secret, her shame. And yet, he was still around. This was comforting to her in a way; as much as he had reason to run away, he wasn't anymore. If anything, he seemed to be closer to her because he knew. And that was the problem.

She had accepted the way things were, hoping for that magical "Someday When Timmy Would Give Our Love A Chance!", but it seemed like such a far-off dream. She put it in the same category as flying to Paris. On a unicorn.

She calls to him, he runs away, she chases, he escapes. That was the summary of their relationship, even if it wasn't as literal as it used to be. Sure, there were glimmers of hope, such as the indestructible Crimson Chin doll he gave her and the kiss of passion that Valentine's Day two years ago (she didn't eat for the rest of that day because she didn't want to lose the taste of his mouth on her tongue), but it was dependable. It was the way things were.

But now, Timmy wasn't chasing after Trixie anymore, and the words he spoke to her in the hospital the past Friday she longed to hear from him, but things … things _changed_. And nobody seemed to know exactly what things have changed into. _Except this isn't the first time things changed between us, is it?_

(one year ago)

Timmy was sitting in his bed, exhausted. Saving the universe from a misunderstood cosmic entity was tiring. Already, most of the people had forgotten it even happened, and it was back to the status quo. Tomorrow, he would again be unpopular, forgotten by those he saved. They owe him their lives, and wouldn't ever know the debt they owe.

But he remembered the debt he owed.

He called his fairies, who were equally exhausted. "Cosmo, Wanda, I need one wish tonight before we go to sleep."

Cosmo yawned, "Can't you wait until tomorrow for a pony?"

Wanda slapped her forehead. Then she spoke, tiredly asking, "What do you need tonight, sweety?"

Timmy's voice got a little bolder. "I have to make things right with Tootie."

Cosmo rubbed his eyes. "Can't you wait until tomorrow to give her a pony?"

Timmy glared at his godfather. "Anyway," he sighed. "I've been so mean to her all these years and she's done nothing but try to be supportive and nice to me."

Cosmo retorted, "Well, besides the chasing and the traps and the phone tapping and buying the pictures of you in the shower, she's been …"

Timmy glared harder, then interrupted, "What pictures?"

"Um, nothing. It was hyperbolicy, Um, uh, hey, there's Phillip!" He then floated away into his fishbowl castle.

Wanda rolled her eyes at Cosmo's poor evasion. However, it did explain the bag of silver dollars her husband "found" last week. More importantly, she wanted some answers. "So what do you want to do?"

Timmy looked at Wanda now, sighing. "I want to apologize to her. I wish I could talk to Tootie tonight in a way she wouldn't question."

Wanda smiled. Her godson was finally growing up, and starting to realize who Tootie really was. But that brought a sense of dread with it; hopefully he won't know what happened to her too soon. But from the sound of things, he would be doing most of the talking, so she waved her wand, poofing a cloud of "Amends." He suddenly found himself at the foot of her bed.

"What do I do now, Wanda?" he asked, very nervous. Somehow, this didn't seem like "in a way she wouldn't question."

Wanda smiled. "Just go and talk to her now. Talk softly."

Timmy looked at his fairy godmother, confused. "How does that help?"

Wanda smirked. "Just do it. It will be OK."

He walked over to the head of her bed where she was sleeping. It was hard to see, and he couldn't clearly see her face, but he knew where her ears were and that was important. He leaned down and whispered, "Tootie, it's Timmy. I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. Some things have happened lately and I realized you have always been loyal to me no matter what a jerk I have been to you." He paused, seeing her starting to stir, then settle back. He continued whispering in her ear.

"You are important to me and I'm sorry for all the hurt I caused you, all the pushing away. I can't promise that I will fall in love with you someday, or return your feelings for me, but I promise that I will not take you for granted anymore."

He stood up, ready to leave, when he heard her whisper back, "I forgive you, Timmy. I'm sorry I kept chasing so strongly. I'll ease off, and when or if you're ready, I'll be waiting for you. But you better get out before Vicky see you." She then turned over to hide the smile on her face.

Timmy motioned to Wanda, who waved her wand and poofed them out with a "Home" flash.


	9. Sunday Knight Heat

I'm glad to see that my Wishology change was not hated enough for people to say anything about it. I ended up writing it because I felt it was important to understand that Timmy's change of heart has been a journey, not a light switch.

Now to get to the actual school board meeting, with a couple surprises.

Disclaimer: if you don't know it by now, there's not a whole lot I can do for you.

Fun trivia fact: the song we know as a death song is called "Graveyard Symphony." For those who watch wrestling, it is the Undertaker's theme.

Chapter 9: Sunday Knight Heat (Dimmsdale Stares at a Board)

"Well, son, we're off to the board meeting," his father cheerfully said. "Tonight, we get to watch them decide your fate."

Timmy followed his parents as they walked toward the door, only to have his mother turn and turn him around. "Don't be silly, dear. This is important stuff. We can't have children coming and seeing what the school board decides for your fate. We got Vicky to come and babysit." The doorbell rang its Graveyard Symphony chime. "Oh, it was so nice of Vicky to install our doorbell last month."

Timmy winced, both because he remembered the burns from the electrical work HE did in installing the doorbell and because Vicky was there. It felt strange to him; there was the dread he had felt every time Vicky came by, but also the uncertainty of how things were going to be tonight, with the past few days seeming to change everything.

Mr. Turner opened the door to greet Vicky, wearing her usual saccharine smile, and she brought along Tootie. Timmy felt very awkward seeing them both. Tootie seems equally uncomfortable and they both looked away from each other. The two sisters walked in, and Vicky said, "I hope it's OK I brought my sister along. She didn't want to be home alone tonight." Tootie shyly smiled.

Mr. Turner pulled out his wallet. "Well, of course it's OK. And you'll get paid for watching two children tonight, instead of just one." Timmy wasn't sure whether to groan or laugh at his father's stupidity. Vicky quietly took the extra money and wished them off to the meeting. As they left, she sat on the couch.

"Alright twerp, I'm sure everyone's hungry, so, " she said sweetly, then growled loudly, "GO COOK US SOME DINNER NOW!"

He was indignant; he expected that Vicky wouldn't be the same if she wasn't barking orders, but the fact that she ordered him around like nothing happened was insulting. "Hey, what happened to you not being so mean?" he asked.

Tootie smiled at him standing up to her sister, showing some of his fighter spirit. Vicky, in turn, felt guilty; not even three days, and already reverting to type. She sighed. "You're right," she said calmly. "GO COOK US SOME DINNER NOW!" she yelled, then smiled and calmly said, "Please."

He sighed. At least she was trying.

He went to the kitchen and looked for something simple to cook. _How does mom cook this stuff?_ He thought to himself. There were noodles in the pantry, noodles in the fridge, and a sugar bowl, filled with noodles. Finally, in the freezer, there was a package of hot dogs. That, he knew how to cook.

Cosmo and Wanda poofed next to him. "Hey sport, want us to make something?" Wanda asked.

Cosmo cheerily added, "Yeah. I have the perfect food to poof up. Noodles." Timmy opened up the pantry and let his face explain the rest.

"Wow, I'm better than I thought," he solemnly stated. Then, he smiled again. "But you need some pudding to go with it." Timmy moved the noodles over and nonchalantly showed Cosmo the boxes of pudding, bringing the response of, "You know, Timmy, I'm beginning to think you should stop asking for these things until after you check the pantry."

Wanda rolled her eyes back, stared at her brain for a minute, and then returned them back to normal. "So, sport, want us to fry up some steaks or maybe a salad?"

Timmy thought for a minute. He would not normally even consider a salad, but there were two girls here, _one of those I have feeling for … it's so weird to be thinking that_. "Sure, Wanda. I wish for a dish that the two girls would like."

Cosmo poofed up a translucent purple glass bowl. Wanda muttered something under her breath.

Timmy stared at him for a second, then smiled. "Actually, this is a good idea."

Cosmo smirked, saying to Wanda, "Who's the dumbass now?" Wanda just glared at her husband for a moment before obligingly waved her wand and the bowl was filled with a taco salad.

"Thanks, guys," Timmy appreciatingly said. He walked out of the kitchen to the dining room, surprised to find it empty. He set the bowl down and looked around. "Vicky? Tootie?"

He turned the corner to the living room and found it full of people yelling, "Surprise!" Tootie and Vicky were there wearing party hats, along with A.J., Chester, Sanjay, Elmer, and even Trixie were there (along with Trixie's bodyguard, Bob). They brought out a huge cake with a "Congratulations on your Expulsion!" written on the top.

Tootie smiled at how successfully her plan worked, although she was concerned about the cake; Vicky volunteered to make it, and had to make a run to the store to get more salmon broth. She came up to him and took his left hand, the one not in a cast, resisting the urge to hug and kiss him then and there; the party was reminding her of what he did for her, but restraint was the word of the day. Leading him by his hand to the cake, she handed him a knife and motioned for him to start cutting it. "Alright, man of the hour, time for your cake before we watch the show."

As Timmy was handed a knife, the top of the cake moved. Suddenly, someone jumped out and landed right behind Timmy. He turned, and saw Veronica, in her cheerleading outfit, perkily standing up and cheering, "T-I-M-M-Y, T-I-M-M-Y, T-I-M-M-Y, and Timmy is his name-o." Everybody in the room stared at her, dumbfounded.

Vicky spoke up, trying to not yell. "How did you get in that cake, blondie?"

Veronica stood up, the cake dripping off her. "I am very nimble," she said, stepping closer to Timmy. She whispered in his ear, "I can show you later, if you like."

Tootie felt her hands clenching into a rage. Trixie felt her anger sweltering, at her frenemy making a clear play at a boy that was clearly taken, and a skanky play at that. Timmy sidestepped away from the blonde, closer to Tootie. He blushed as he felt the back of his casted hand brush against her butt. He spoke just above a whisper, "Um, sorry about that."

She, blushing as much, whispered out, "It's OK. Accidents happen." After a few seconds she whispered out again, "Timmy?"

Timmy looked back at her and whispered, "Yes?"

She whispered, "You should probably move your hand now."

He turned even redder and moved his broken hand to his side.

Chester looked at the bowl of taco salad and exclaimed, "Look. He made us dinner." Everybody came and grabbed food from the bowl, eating salad by the handful until Timmy was left holding an empty bowl and covered in lettuce, guacamole, and small pieces of beef. He watched in amazement before regaining his composure and walked wordlessly back to the kitchen, where his godparents were waiting.

"Timmy," Cosmo exclaimed. "How was it?"

"Good enough to eat with their hands," he said. "Which reminds me, I wish I had more. Turns out I'm feeding a party."

A wave of wands later, and "More Salad" appeared, followed by more salad. He turned and went back out to the people who had gathered around the television set; the school board meeting was being televised and everybody wanted to know what would happen.

As the introductions began and the resolution was read aloud for Timmy Turner's expulsion to be reduced to a three day suspension, Trixie was approached by her security guard, Bob.

"Miss Tang," he spoke in a low voice, "if it is not a problem, there is a private but urgent matter I must attend to."

She smiled; she knew she was safe here. "Go ahead. I think everything's OK here." At those words, he left quietly.

As the hearing continued, and the kids watching were cheering and booing, until Ms. Diamond finally stood at the podium. She began speaking to a silent board room.

"However we may feel about whatever personal tragedy happened to this young girl, the fact remains that she left her classroom without permission, and this young man did so afterward. When they were told to return back by poor Mr. Crocker, he was assaulted brutally. As far as I am concerned, there is no grounds for violent disobedience. And frankly," she glared at each member of the school board, "I do not care what you think; Dimmsdale Junior High is my school and Timmy Turner is an agent of chaos."

As she sat down, the board called for a vote, when they were interrupted by Ms. Diamond. "Excuse me, but it is a rule in the charter that when there is a matter of a clear victim, that victim gets an equal vote in the resolution."

One of the board members plainly said, "And that victim was not you, so please sit down."

She smirked. "But Denzel Crocker was, and he gets a vote." As if on cue, he walked into the board meeting, hobbling in on a cane before sitting down.

The board member sighed before defeatedly muttering, "Fine. In case the four of us cannot reach a verdict, he will get a vote."

Timmy, and those in the room with him, were flabbergasted; clearly, this did not mean well for him. No way Crocker was going to reinstate his old foe.

The council voted and it was tied, 2-2. Mr. Crocker was called to the podium. Before the council could speak, Ms. Diamond blurted out, "Now, Mr. Crocker, here is your chance. The resolution is whether or not to allow the boy that brutally assaulted you for enforcing the rules back into the school. You get to choose; does chaos and 'do your own thing' win the day, or will you make a stand for law and order? Do you vote for that horrible Turner boy to be reinstated?"

Timmy shook, waiting for the answer he knew was coming.

Ms. Diamond smiled, waiting for the answer she knew was coming.

Mr. and Mrs. Turner watched, waiting for the answer they knew was coming.

Vicky started making her plans for vengeance, waiting for the answer she knew was coming.

Chet Ubecha started writing the lead-in story of an upheld expulsion, waiting for the answer he knew was coming.

The room fell dead silent as Denzel Crocker spoke into the microphone, "Yes."

With the resolution passed, and the room silent for three full minutes as the shock set in, Ms. Diamond stood up and left in a huff. As she walked to her car, she swore out loud. "How dare that Turner punk cross me like that! And Crocker does that too! I'll show them both! I'll destroy them! I will …"

A deep voice behind her said, "You will do nothing."

She turned around and saw the imposing image of Bob staring at her. "This is not your concern! That boy will pay for breaking my system down."

He walked up to within inches of her face and spoke in a deep voice, "Not only is Timmy Turner off limits, he is under my protection. Anything you do against him will result in," he paused to crack his knuckles, "negative consequences."

She shook; knowing what Bob was capable of, she knew that "negative consequences" was something she likely would not walk away from. She regained her composure. "Fine. I'll back off for now. I'm resigning anyway in protest. But I will make him pay. Be sure of that! And I will remember this moment! You made your last mistake, Bob!"

He smirked. "Wouldn't be the first time, mother." She huffed again and got in her car, speeding off.

The Turner house was in a festive mood, everybody celebrating. Timmy grabbed Tootie, hugged her, and just stopped short of kissing her in celebration. _Am I being too forward?_ He thought to himself before letting her go and joining the cheering.

_Is there something wrong with me?_ Tootie thought to herself. She felt the hug he gave – he gave – and saw a kiss about to come when he backed off. _Maybe next time._

Denzel Crocker returned home from the meeting, tired. He was tired and sore; the trip took a lot out of his still-recovering body. He sat on his bed, thankful his mother was out of town for the week. He thought about many things in the past day, but he was confident he made the right decision. Seeing the sealed files given to him, he knew that Timmy was only acting out of concern and compassion. _And if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have tried to make them go back to class. Which reminds me, I better find those files_.

He found the files and sealed them with glue before putting them in his fireplace. They were secrets given to him, secrets about what happened to Tootie Flanagan and why she reacted as she did. He was told he wouldn't want to know them, but he needed to. He promised to keep it in mind and let it decide his vote. He lit the match and burned the folders and papers, keeping the other promise he made to Deep Toot.


	10. I Take the Sanity

Sorry about the delay; it's been a busy past couple months. But make no mistake: things are about to really get interesting.

Tall T: I would say that Timmy's hormones aren't so much awakening as they are screaming, "Pay attention, dammit!" That being said, you inspired the beginning of the next chapter; just remember that you brought it on yourself!

As usual, I don't own any of the characters, except for the ones that I do.

Chapter 10: I Take the Sanity (You Take the Fame)

The party was winding down, and everybody was leaving. Vicky went to lay down on the couch, leaving Timmy and Tootie on the porch, watching Trixie's limo leave.

He smiled at her. "Thanks for this party. It meant a lot to me."

Tootie shyly smiled back, slightly blushing at the compliment. "It was the least I could do for you. It's kinda my fault you got expelled." She got quiet for a minute, not sure what to say.

Breaking the silence, Timmy spoke up, "There is something else. I don't know how to say this …" he nervously stopped. _What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if I'm jumping the gun? Maybe I should stop now._

Tootie looked in his eyes, smiling. "You can tell me anything," she sweetly said. But as much as he tried, he couldn't say anything. No words were coming out, so he did the only thing he could think of.

He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, while his arms reached around her, holding her close to him. She was startled by this sudden affection, but quickly gave in to it, kissing him back, putting her arms around him and parting her lips. Taking his cue, he slipped his tongue between her lips, exploring her mouth, teasing her tongue with his. She let out a slight moan as she reciprocated, shifting her tongue to explore like his was.

As the kissing continued, his hands slowly slid along her sides, working their way to her front, and rubbing her bare stomach under her blouse. She broke away from the kiss long enough to whisper, "Take it off," before pushing her lips against his again.

He nervously unbuttoned her blouse from the bottom to the top and took it off her shoulders. He noticed her pink bra, and the tag saying "A-cup" underneath the middle fastener on the front; it felt strange to him. _They're not as big as most girls in my class, but so what? They're Tootie's, and that's why I like them so much_. He struggled to undo the fastener, while still kissing her passionately, the tongues' intensity growing with anticipation.

After he had managed to unclasp the front middle clip, he started pulling the cups off her breasts when she broke away, smiled, and started removing the shoulder straps, then said, "WAKE UP!"

Timmy jumped awake in his bed, looking up to see Cosmo and Wanda; he recognized Cosmo's voice as the "alarm", and instantly thought of ten ways to ensure he would never do that again.

Three of them did not involve a hacksaw or fire.

Timmy looked at them and then asked, "Where was I?"

Cosmo cheerily blurted out, "From the sounds of it, about to reach second base!" One wand-induced bonk to his head later, he was laying on the floor dazed.

"Thanks, Wanda," Timmy spoke, grateful, but still irritated by being awakened. "But why did you guys wake me up? I don't go back to school until Wednesday."

Cosmo groggily muttered, "You can watch the stars with me."

Wanda poofed up a picture book, "Educational Places to Take a Delinquent." She flipped through the pages showing the different places to go. "We can go to all these places. Just because you're out of school doesn't mean you can't learn."

Timmy and Cosmo blinked, then burst out in laughter for a full two minutes before Wanda put the book away, muttering under her breath, "Why do I bother?"

Timmy's mind quickly thought of an idea. "I know what I can do." He smiled widely then continued. "I can go back to sleep and maybe see Tootie's boo-right smile. Yeah, that's it!"

Both godparents put their hands on their hips in disapproval, with Cosmo whispering to Timmy, "Even I'm not dumb enough to fall for that one."

Timmy kept smirking, dryly responding, "Well, I wish I was asleep again and back to my dream, right where it left off." One poof later, and a cloud of "Sweet Dreams" and Timmy was back in his dream right where it left off.

The dream he had last week where he was being chased by pygmy ninjas.

Cosmo smirked and dryly commented, "Next time, lie better or wish better."

Wanda would normally have been shocked by her husband's deviously manipulating the wish, but she was too amused to not approve of it; after all, it wasn't hurting anybody, and she wanted to delay her godchild thinking with anything but his brain for as long as possible. She snuggled up to Cosmo, telling him, "He's got the right idea. We should go back to bed too."

Cosmo obliviously said, "But I'm not tired."

Wanda smiled wickedly and whispered in his ear, "Me neither."

Cosmo took Wanda's hand and poofed back to their castle as fast as he could.

"And now, here she is, the pretty and popular Trixie Tang!" the bus driver announced as she entered the bus. Normally, the people would be admiring her with the repeated mantra of "Gosh, you're pretty," but this time, the student reporters of the Dimmsdale Jr. High School Newspaper™ were flocking to ask and overwhelm her about her going to the party last night, with a bunch of unpopular kids, no less.

"Trixie Tang, why were you at Timmy Turner's house last night?"

"Trixie Tang, what is the nature of your relationship?"

"Trixie Tang, how do you feel about the suspension of that boy?"

"Trixie Tang, are you turning your back on popularity now?"

"Trixie Tang, is it true you're having Timmy's baby?"

Trixie stood there, numbed and overwhelmed by the sudden shift against her by the student paparazzi. Chester and A.J. were watching from the middle of the bus when Chester suddenly stood up.

A.J., confused, asked him, "What are you doing?"

Chester replied, "I don't like bullies. Especially the reporter kind." He walked up, pushing his way through the crowd of interrogators, until reaching right next to Trixie and her bodyguard, Bob. Chester turned toward the two and muttered in a low voice, "Follow my lead, Trixie, and you'll be fine."

He turned toward the reporters, now ready to ask questions about this next possible scandal involving the popular girl. He knew exactly how to handle this situation; take the control away from the ones holding the mikes. He waited a moment, then spoke in a tone screaming indignation. "Good morning, I'm Chester McBadbat, Trixie's press agent, and I'll answer the smart questions. Trixie Tang was with some unpopular kids last night, at Timmy Turner's house. And why wouldn't she be? He was the key part of the biggest story to hit this school in years. Clearly, she wanted to know for herself what was going on and what would happen with him. Her question for you is, why weren't YOU covering it? You're supposed to be reporters, and she had to rely on herself to get the coverage you should have been providing. Even today, we are getting a new principal because of Mr. Turner's actions, and the only thing you want to know is if Trixie and Turner are romantically involved? The answer is no." He paused for a minute, with the entire bus silent, then continued. "Now, here's an idea: go do some real reporting. Come back when you have something not stupid to ask."

He turned back around, took Trixie's hand, and muttered to her, "Follow me to the back of the bus. Don't speak, don't even turn your head. Let them know you're not giving them control." Bob was about to intervene when Trixie mouthed, "It's OK" to him. The three walked to the back, the reporters kept asking questions. She didn't notice the questions or even that the people were there; she was intrigued on why this boy came to help her. She knew he was Timmy's friend, and he did seem familiar, but he seemed … unaffected by her charms.

She sat down at the back of the bus, he let go of his hand, and Bob stood by Trixie. Chester turned and wordlessly went back to his seat before she could thank him.

Veronica sneered, "Why did he get involved like that?" trying to hide the fact that she tipped the paparazzi about Trixie being at Timmy's party.

Trixie answered, slightly confused, "I don't know. But this lunch time, I plan to find out."

As lunchtime came, Chester, A.J., and Tootie were sitting at their usual table, leaving a conspicuously empty seat where Timmy would be. They quietly ate, and chatted about the boring classes. Tootie was quieter than usual; her breakdown the previous Friday was on her mind, and was scared of people bringing it up. Even though they suspected (correctly) that it was a combination of good taste and fear that Francis would intervene that kept people quiet, it was still on her mind. _I wish you were here, holding me through this, Timmy,"_ she thought to herself. The two boys seemed to be asking her something, and she wasn't really listening; she just nodded her head at the appropriate times. When A.J. asked, "Is that a yes or a no?" she blurted out, "Yes, of course."

A.J. glared. "You weren't listening, were you?"

Tootie guiltily and slowly responded, "Of course I was."

"I just asked you if you were going to cut off your legs and eat them."

"I thought you meant that metaphorically."

Chester rolled his eyes and turned his head, only to be surprised by the sight of Trixie walking up to the table. "Um, Chester," she shyly asked, "can we talk?"

Chester motioned toward the empty seat.

Trixie bashfully asked, "I meant, can we talk alone?"

Chester shook his head. "Anything you have to say I would just tell them anyway. This saves time. Please, sit." He went back to his chicken nuggets as she sat down. Most boys would give up their right arm to be alone with her, and he made it clear that if she was going to talk to him it was on his terms. This was unusual, and Trixie felt like it should bother her more than it did and definitely shouldn't be making her smile like she was.

She asked quietly, "Why did you help me this morning on the bus?"

Although A.J. knew the answer, he and Tootie quickly became quiet, as they wanted to hear Chester's answer. Tootie looked at them, unsure what they were talking about – Chester hadn't said anything about this – but figured she would ask later.

Chester finished his nugget then spoke. "I don't like seeing reporters pushing people around. You were clearly in a new situation, one where they were on the hunt for some dirt and hoping they would find some. Being a McBatbat, I know how to deal with a hostile press, so I stepped in." He paused, drank some of his milk, then continued. "Besides, Timmy vouches for you as a person, and that's good enough for us." The other two kids nodded.

Trixie sat, smiled, and pondered the whole situation. How the paparazzi was in an attack mode, how this kid stood up to them for her, and mostly the confusion on why _exactly_ she needed to know why he did it. "Well, thank you. I appreciate it."

He looked back at her. "You're welcome. But," he paused, then spoke in a little lower tone, "if I were you, I would try to find out who tipped them off and why. Up to today, they adored you because you were pretty and popular. You're still pretty and popular, so there has to be another reason they turned on you." He finished his milk. "I don't want to be rude, Trixie, but I have to study for the test coming up."

"Oh no, of course, " she nervously said. _Why am I feeling nervous talking to him? _

As Trixie walked back to the Popular Kids section of the lunchroom, and the three other kids walked out of the lunchroom, Tootie looked at Chester, and just started for a few seconds, prompting a "What is it?" from him.

She responded with a little surprise in her voice, "You were close to Trixie."

Chester dryly said, "That's nothing. This morning when I was running her press conference, I held her hand leading her to the back."  
Tootie reached for the hand, until Chester pulled his arm away. "You know girls give me hives, Tootie."

She just looked at his hand. "But that's just it; you don't have hives."

A.J. grabbed Chester's arm. "She's right, dude. You should have had an outbreak by now."


	11. Two Truths and a Lie

Thank you for your patience. Rest assured, I have not forgotten about you or this story. Nevertheless, there are a couple things I want to point out.

Glad to see the appreciation for Timmy's dream, because there is a chance that a dream like that could be important later. (dum dum dum)

I am curious about how NOBODY noticed something else I worked in last chapter. If you don't know, re-read it before reading this one.

As usual, I own nothing, except for my original characters and songs.

A note. I gave Tootie and Vicky the last name of Flanagan because I liked the idea that I found elsewhere, but forgot where. It was the author Lonestar that coined it.

I have kept you waiting long enough. Time to file Chapter 11.

Chapter 11: Two Truths and a Lie (The Trap is Set)

_He was just being nice. It meant nothing. It is only what unpopular kids owe us. He deserves nothing for doing his job. Why can't I stop thinking about him?_

Trixie's mind was going a mile a minute, ignoring the weekly meeting of the popular kids. She didn't intend to get distracted, and certainly didn't want to. This was the meeting to plan the annual Dia de los Muertos party that the popular kids throw around the area; let the lower class have their low-brow "Halloween", but they were determined to be civilized and modern, and what can be more modern that a party for a foreign holiday? Even though it could easily be mistaken for a Halloween party, and none of the planners really knew anything about the Mexican Day of the Dead, it had the title to make itself separate, and really, that's all that mattered. It was a Dia de los Muertos party.

While Chad, Tad, and Veronica were planning the festivities, including the traditional Dia de los Muertos activities of bobbing for apples, costumes, and a taco bar, Trixie's mind kept wandering, thinking about what had happened the day before, both on the bus and in the lunchroom. _How dare he talk that way to me! Me! Telling me I had to talk to him on his terms, making me sit by him, leaving when he wanted to, being in control like that. How dare he not even acknowledge me being pret … no, he did that, but it didn't faze him. How dare he not be captivated? Boys are supposed to be under my control. He's supposed to be beneath me. I'm supposed to be the queen of the mountain, not him on top of me. And why was I acting like some stupid schoolgirl crush, wanting him on top of me? … I really just thought those words, didn't I?_

The other three kids stopped talking and looked at Trixie, waiting for her response to a question she wasn't listening to. Her internal monologue was taking priority. _I mean, sure, he's a little cute, but he's, unpopular. Not only that, he's trailer trash. NO! CHESTER IS NOT TRAILER TRASH! He's just a boy who's unpopular, doing what was right. And he got nothing out of it. But the thrill of being in control. He probably loved his chance to control the situation. I bet he loved being on top of me like that. … Damn it! Why did "The Talk" Day have to happen right before this? They're staring at me. I better say something._

"I don't care," she blurted out, more truthful than she intended.

Veronica smiled. "Then it's settled. We will have the game of Five Minutes in Heaven. Now, I have a proposal of my own." She stopped, pretending to think. She had made this plan, and now it was time to get it into motion. "I think we should invite someone outside our circle to the party."

Trixie gulped. Did the blonde somehow know her thoughts? Was she caught? Did she say anything out loud? _I hope it wasn't anything about Chester being on … caught it. I have to put Chester behind me. It'd be so good to have him behind me, … DAMN IT!_

Chad responded first, remembering his part of the plan. "But who should we invite? You got someone in mind, Veronica?" he asked.

Veronica smiled, just like she practiced. "Hmmm, actually, yes. I know the perfect person." She took her planned two second pause, then continued. "Timmy Turner, the school hero."

Trixie grimaced. Veronica was up to something, she could feel it, but it was a good idea. After all, he _is_ a hero, as far as the school is concerned, and if there was a chance for him to be popular, this was it. She nodded her head. "I think you're right. But do you think he would come? It seems he might have a girlfriend, and we should invite her, too." _Show me your cards, blondie._

Veronica smiled wider. "I'm not so sure they're dating, but I'll give him the chance to invite her too," she eagerly responded. _Tootie will be there. My plan depends on it. Nice try, Tang._

Trixie worried inside. Something was very wrong, but she couldn't put together how. "OK, then I say we do it. I'll invite him tomorrow at school." _I'll play along, blondie. For now._

Veronica thought quickly; this wasn't something she was expecting. "Actually, I think I should invite him. He might get the wrong idea if you ask him after last Friday's dance." _I wasn't expecting that, Tang. But I can dance just as fast as you._

Chad quickly jumped in. "She's right, Trixie. It'd be better if she were the inviting girl." _This plan is getting crazier and crazier all the time. This better be worth it when it's all over!_

Trixie faked a smile. "Well then, Veronica will invite Timmy Turner tomorrow." _What did she promise you for this, Chad? Whatever is was, she can't be that big of a skank to actually give it to you._

Tad took his gavel and banged the table with it. "And with that, this meeting is adjourned. Party this Friday." _I gotta get home and online so I can talk to Molly before she goes off to school._

As the three other kids left, Trixie went up to her room to lie down. She had a party to plan, but between Veronica's scheming and her own mind betraying her, she needed to rest. But no sooner than her body hit her bed, her mind started drifting again to her interaction with Chester yesterday. _And why did I let him take my hand on the bus? Bob would have stopped him, but I prevented that. Why? Why was I so willing to let him lead me to the back of the bus? Even worse, in the lunchroom, when we were talking, I probably would have let him take me to wherever he was going. Why was I so eager to let him take me then and there? … DAMN IT!_

* * *

"I'm telling you, Chester, I ran the tests five times. You are still allergic to girls," A.J. told him, holding the papers.

Chester was confused. Everything made sense at the time, and he didn't even think about it. Trixie needed help, Chester helped. That was the end of the situation. Until Tootie had to point out how he wasn't breaking out in a rash. And now, here was the science to show that he _should_ have broken out. But why didn't he? Trixie was a girl. _And a pretty girl at that, but standing up for Timmy like that, actually being nice to an unpopular kid, and actually being a good person. If only she weren't so far above me, we could be friends, or maybe even more … I really just thought those words, didn't I?_

Timmy stood next to Tootie, who was calming down. She was helping with the tests, even holding Chester's hand to trigger a rash – a rash that she would have been insulted by, if not for knowing how Chester is allergic to all girls – but it was still uncomfortable. _This isn't Uncle Howdy. He's not going to hurt me._ She kept reminding herself, but it was still hard to fight seven years of reflex. Timmy being there, helping her through it, enduring her too-tight grip on his arm without complaint when the pressure was too great, helped her handle it. _But I have to be careful that I don't break his arm._

Chester slowly responded, "So what are you saying? Is Trixie not a girl?" Strangely, part of him balked at the joke he made.

Tootie smiled mischievously., responding with, "Well, that explains why Timmy didn't get a kiss from her at the dance." Everyone laughed at her joke.

A.J. dryly replied, "Actually, that was probably more about Timmy than Trixie." Tootie was a little offended; she would be covering him in kisses right now, but she promised to wait for him. He was making progress, but it was getting frustrating.

"You sound jealous, A.J.," Chester jumped in, laughing.

Timmy smirked, then said, "He is. It's not your fault, A.J., it's just that my parents would get upset if I brought you home as my girlfriend." Everyone was laughing louder now, including Tootie.

A.J. got a serious look on his face and grimaced. "It's because I'm Black, isn't it?" he growled, sounding angry. The room got very quiet very quickly.

Timmy looked back at him for a moment, and then sighed before saying, "We keep going over this," he said, in a grim tone. "For the last time, yes!" The room was silent for a second before everybody erupted in laughter again.

After a few more minutes of jokes and laughing, the computer beeped again. It seemed the results were the same. A.J. put them with the other papers. "I think the difference here may not be you, but might be Trixie. We need to get her in here."

Chester quickly blurted out, "No. We're not going to let her know that I'm not allergic to her. I'll tell her when, or if, she needs to know." _Such a shame, finally a girl that I can date, and I can't date her. Maybe touch, maybe kiss, maybe … stop dreaming, trailer trash._

A.J looked at his watch. "You guys got to get going soon. My parents are leaving, and Vicky gets crank when she has more than one victim at a time," he said. The truth was close to that, but A.J. was looking forward to analyzing Vicky some more. In the name of science, of course.

As the three friends started toward home, Chester's thoughts were on how this would affect him.

Tootie's thoughts were on how Timmy – again – was her knight in shining armor, helping her do something that even a few weeks ago, she could not have done.

Timmy's thoughts were on why he was so nervous. He knew how she felt, and how he felt. He wanted to kiss her more than anything, and was just holding her hand instead as he walked her home. They chitchatted, talking about boring things, and talking around their feelings in an unspoken agreement. When they got to her house, she smiled at him. "Thank you for being there for me, Timmy."

Timmy struggled, looking at her, looking at her lips, remembering his dream, wanting it to come true, even part of it, but didn't want to be too forward. "It's what I'm here for," he replied. Nervously, he pulled her closer, giving her a hug. "I know this wasn't easy for you."

_It'd be easier if I was getting more than a hug_, she thought to herself. _Have I been misreading him? I keep giving him chances to act, but maybe there is nothing there._

He broke away and smiled, turning around. "See you tomorrow, Tootie," he said, chiding himself for his cowardice. _I wish I was like Tootie right now. She was always so open, so unafraid to show affection._ He left, wishing in his heart that he could act on his feelings.

Tootie went inside and laid down on her bed._ Am I reading him wrong? I remember what he said at the hospital, but maybe he didn't mean it. He once said he wouldn't promise anything, maybe he won't ever fall for me._ Her mind thought darker, _maybe Uncle Howdy was right. Maybe no one will love me, that the best I can ever be is a good doggie._ As her mind drifted away to painful memories, she started shedding tears. She went to her closet and looked at her dusty Timmy Shrine. _No, Tootie. I'm better than this. I waited this long, I can wait a little longer._

As Timmy walked home, mentally berating himself, he heard the two squirrels behind him that often followed. "Hi guys. Sorry, I'm not in the mood for talking."

Wanda looked at him, concerned. "Something happen with Tootie?"

Timmy sighed. "No. Nothing at all. If only I was braver." He suddenly smiled, a plan forming in his head. "But I can fix that. I wish I was brave enough to kiss Tootie."

Cosmo sighed, and then pulled out Da Rules. He opened it up, then blurted out, "Yep. Still has words in it. Sorry, I can't help."

Wanda sighed as she took the book away from him. "I'm afraid he's right, sweety. We can't interfere with love. You're going to have to work up the courage on your own. I know it sounds crazy, but …"

Cosmo was about to interrupt, when they heard a voice behind them yelling, "Timmy! I'm like, glad I found you!" Veronica came running up, bouncy and happy.

"Speaking of sounds crazy," Timmy muttered under his breath. "What do you want?"

She smiled and stood right next to him. "Why, I want to tell you about the news tomorrow. It involves our favorite four-eyed girl and a certain history."

Timmy's mind was filling with anger. _What does she know about Tootie?_ "OK, is this going somewhere? Because I've had a bad day."

Veronica smiled and leaned in closer. "Like, it totally is going somewhere. It's going to Yreka."

Timmy's jaw dropped. _How the hell does she know? Who told her? Is she really this dumb? Didn't she see what happened to Crocker?_ He felt his rage building, and he was not alone; it was talking all their restraint for Cosmo and Wanda to not act swiftly and violently.

He leaned in, whispering with a growl to his voice, "If you knew what you were talking about, you would not be talking about it."

Veronica, not aware how dangerous a game she was playing, simply smiled. "Oh, I think everybody should know about it. It'll be in the news tomorrow morning. Even your dumpster diving friend wouldn't be able to stop it." She smirked, clearly thinking she was winning.

Wanda grabbed her copy of Da Rulez, looking for an exception to harming children.

Timmy glared angrily at her. "What do you want to keep it quiet?" She had something, and he was going to protect Tootie at any cost.

Veronica smiled. "Now, she's like, unpopular and stuff, so I couldn't keep things quiet for her." She stepped a little closer. "But, for a boyfriend, I'd do anything for. Anything."

He looked at her in shock. She was trying to blackmail a relationship out of him! He yelled, "Are you nuts! You think I'm going to be your boyfriend to keep this quiet?!"

She smiled back wider. "Well, it sounds bad when you put it like that."

_Wow. She really is crazy!_ "It sounds bad because it is bad!"

_I got the fish, now to reel him in._ "I guess it does. I just want you to give me a chance. Tell you what, Trixie's having a party this Friday night. You be my date, and my lips are sealed."

_Who told Veronica she was too sane?_ "What?!"

"I'll see you Friday night. Like, one night, and what happens, happens, and I stay quiet. Call me tonight with your answer." She turned and left. _Part two complete. Now, to prepare for the big finish. Then Trixie will be out of my way, and the reign of Queen Veronica will begin._

When she was a safe distance away, Timmy turned to his godparents. "What do I do?"


	12. A Link on a Chain

Here we go. Sorry for the wait; it's been busy around here. But rest assured, I have not forgotten about you or this story. Let me answer a couple questions that have come up.

For those hoping for a Timmy/Trixie pairing, not going to happen. Chapter 1 explains why it's not going to happen. Don't worry; Trixie will find love – and it should be clear where that love will be coming from – although the full circumstances are not what one would call "ideal."

Veronica is a villain because, frankly, she is perfect villain material. When it comes to Timmy, she is as obsessive as Tootie, if not more so. She is also second on the totem pole, with no realistic chance for advancing. And she has resources. Really, she is one clown suit away from Harley Quinn.

But now, let's go to the next chapter, and a side to someone that you thought you would never see.

* * *

Chapter 12: A Link on a Chain (A Cloud in the Sky)

(four years in the future)

It felt so unreal to Tootie. She knew and planned for this, and now even having lived it, it felt like a dream – a dream she never wanted to wake from. Even though her rational mind knew better, her feelings swore saying this was simply too good to be true. Still, she was determined; dream or reality, she was going to savor every moment she had as the bride of Timmy Turner.

As she went to the corner to talk to her new grandparents-in-law, who were so kind to provide the roasted yak (which she did enjoy a lot more than she thought she would), she was stopped by a pink-haired woman wearing a subdued violet and black dress.

"Oh, hi, Wanda," she said, smiling. Although she did not really understand the whole story of how she and her husband fit in Timmy's life, she knew that he meant a lot to them and that they meant a lot to him in return. For now, that was enough. There would be plenty of time for Timmy to sort it all out later.

Wanda hugged her, smiling. "I always knew this day would come, even when you two were kids," she happily commented. Her face turned serious for a moment. "But, there is something I want to share with you, seeing as we have something in common."

Tootie's face contorted to a look of confusion. "What's that?" she asked.

Wanda smiled again. "We're both married to wonderful men who are, well, morons."

Tootie's face contorted to a look of anger. _How dare she talk about my Timmy like that! He is, well, yeah she's right, but still!_

Wanda continued. "Don't get me wrong. Timmy is a great guy, and that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Even when he gets the book-smart stuff wrong, his heart is in the right place. And he has strengths just like you do. Things that he understands that you don't. Don't ever forget that." She stopped smiling, and frowned at her memories. "I got so used to knowing more than Cosmo that I forgot about his strengths." She stopped, took a deep breath, and then continued. "And I know he'll never admit this, but it almost cost me my marriage."

(today)

Timmy's question was on his godparents' minds. Cosmo answered immediately. "That's easy, Timmy! Don't do it!" he yelled out.

Wanda thought a few moments more. His answer made sense to her, but what if Veronica follows through on her threat? The risks to Tootie were too great. "Actually, Timmy, maybe you should play along with her. Let her think she's winning until we find out what she knows," she sternly said. She then added, "Though I don't like it."

Cosmo blurted out, "WHAT?! Are you kidding?"

Wanda rolled her eyes. She did not like corrected by her idiot of a husband, especially in front of Timmy. "No, I'm not," she bluntly said. "We can't take any chances right now."

Cosmo got louder, and felt his teeth grinding. "And you think she didn't think of that? She's up to something! This will not end with just a party. She's thinking bigger."

Timmy interjected, "I think I'm gonna take Wanda's advice on this. If I do this one party, then Veronica keeps quiet, and nobody gets hurt." Wanda smiled, while Cosmo's eyes reddened with fury.

"Yeah, until she wants more. Where do you think this stops, Timmy? One party, then a dance, then a movie, you give in to this, and she's going to go for more." He waved his wand and turned into a miniature Veronica, wearing a tight white nighty. He said, in a perfect Veronica impersonation, "If you want me to stay quiet, you better fuck me."

Timmy and Wanda's Jaws dropped at Cosmo's last statement. He morphed back to his usual form and responded to their stares by angrily yelling, "Yeah, I said fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! Because that is what this girl is – fucking crazy! She is making her play here, and if it works, that is where it is going to go! And you know what, you're even stupider than I am if you think somehow this will help Tootie!"

After a full two minutes of stunned silence, Timmy meekly asked, "So what should I do, Cosmo?"

Cosmo, calmer, took a deep breath before continuing in a quieter voice. "You refuse. You tell Crazylocks, 'No!' Then forget about it. Even better idea: you go right now and tell Tootie everything that happened here, so even if everything comes out, she is ready for it."

Wanda jumped in, "Or we can make sure nobody gets hurt. If we have to tell Tootie, we will, but right now, we can keep her from worrying. At least this will buy us some time."

Cosmo growled, then blurted out, "Time for what? We _know_ her goal. I just don't think that …"

Wanda interrupted, an angry flash of her own. "That's the problem, Cosmo! You just don't think!"

Timmy pulled out his whistle and blew it hard, causing the godparents' arguing to halt. "Guys! I think I am going to go with Wanda's plan for now. If Cosmo's right, we can change it later. I just don't want Tootie to get hurt or worry about this." He sighed as he started walking toward home again.

It was an eerie quiet walk home, nobody saying anything. Every so often, Timmy would look back and see the squirrels following him, but there was something wrong. Both of them were quiet, and Cosmo seemed particularly angry. When they approached his bedroom, Wanda took her usual fish form and noticed Cosmo not doing the same.

"What are you doing, Cosmo?" she asked him, irritated.

He said nothing, but he seemed to be thinking of something. _What is he doing_, Wanda thought.

"Cosmo! Whatever it is you're thinking about, …"

Cosmo snapped, "I just don't think. Remember?" He waved his wand and poofed out of the room.

Wanda stared for a moment, then moved out of the fishbowl, taking her usual fairy form, and waved her wand. She suddenly had a look of shock and horror on her face, and a few tears started sliding down her face. Timmy, a witness to all of this, was confused; they argued before, even argued louder before, but this felt different. And based on her actions, this _was_ different. "Wanda?" he asked. "What is it?"

Wanda looked at Timmy, more tears sliding down her face. "I can't find Cosmo."

Timmy sighed. "He'll cool off. Just give him some time."

Wanda shook her head. "You don't understand, sport. When fairies get married, they can track each other. That way, if one is lost or hurt, the other can find them. It's almost like a mental bond, and it's come in handy a lot, especially as godparents." She paused, and then continued, a light sob escaping as she spoke. "He severed the bond. For the first time ever, I can't find him. I think …" She stopped talking and started crying. After a few minutes, she was crying harder, but managed to sob out, "I think I just lost my husband."

Anti-Cosmo got the message through his want that he had hoped to get for quite some time. "Green light. Do your worst." He smiled; even though it woke him up from his dreams of wicked plans, that was fine with him. This was more important to him.

He walked down to the cell door that he had built – a project for fun long before he had need for a cell. He unlocked it and walked in. His captor was sleeping on the stone slab she used as a mattress. He walked up to her and slapped her face as hard as he could; he was done playing nice.

"Time for you to wake up! I finally got the right to treat you like you deserve," he cackled, smiling wickedly.

She sat up and felt the chains on her wrists and legs tighten. She knew she would be stuck to her slab helpless. But this was different from before; he often told her that she deserved worse than she was getting, and now she knew she was about to find out what "worse" is.

He turned his wand into a crowbar and pressed the flat of it against the side of her knee. "Now, I could just beat you, or maybe even kill you," he continued, with the unholy combination of mirth and malice in his voice. "But I have a better idea." He smiled wider as he ran the crowbar up her leg slowly, making sure to put pressure on her leg and not to cut it. "You humans have a concept I find intriguing." She felt the flat of the crowbar blade against her upper thigh. "I believe the word for it is … karma."

For the first time since her capture, Nicky Flanagan screamed.


	13. The Righteous Rage of the Wicked

Again, a long delay between chapters. I actually re-wrote this chapter 3 times, so hopefully, it will be worth it.

I'm also glad you like the idea of my bringing in Nicky; I almost didn't, but I wanted to bring some sort of resolution to the Flanagan parents – and someone asked me if their "leaving town" was related to the funny-tasting meals Vicky cooks up.

Enough blabbering: here is lucky #13.

Chapter 13: The Righteous Wrath of the Wicked (Anti-Cosmo's Confession)

As Wanda cried, Timmy's heart sank. For the almost four years they had been his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda were a stable presence in his life, often _the_ stable presence. Even when they fought and argued, there was always an undercurrent of affection and understanding between them. But now, Cosmo was gone, and based on Wanda's reaction, he was making a point of not coming back.

_Not today_, he thought to himself. _If he wants to leave, he's gonna have to say it to my face._

"Wanda," he said, loud enough to be heard over her crying. "I wish we knew where Cosmo is."

She pulled out her wand and cried louder as it went limp. "I can't grant that, Sport," she sobbed out. "I would have to know where he is or be with someone who does."

Timmy smiled. "Then I wish we were with someone who knows where he is." Wanda tried to smile through her crying, impressed by his smart wish – this brought the total of Smart Wishes by Timmy to 4 – and waved her wand, bringing them to a dark cavern, where they heard a woman screaming and saw a flickering shadow of what could have been a Cosmo-like shape. They walked into the room, freezing when they heard the evil voice of Anti-Cosmo speaking to his captive.

"Do you feel it, Nicole?" he taunted as the flat of the crowbar blade pressed against Nicky's inner thigh. "You feel the fear building inside you? You know what happens next, don't you?"

Nicky sobbed, "Please …. Don't …. I'll do whatever you want."

Anti-Cosmo slapped her face with his free hand, shouting, "You dare beg for mercy? Tell me something. As scared as you are, imagine what would happen if you were feeling like this, trapped, alone, nobody to help you, and knowing the violation you are about to experience, "he slapped her face before screaming louder, "ONLY NOW IMAGINE YOU ARE SIX!"

Timmy realized at that moment why the woman seemed familiar. _That's Tootie and Vicky's mom. And I better stop Anti-Cosmo if he's going to do what I think he is going to do._

Timmy ran up to the slab, yelling, "Stop this! Let her go!"

Anti-Cosmo kept pressing the crowbar against Nicky's thigh, moving it toward her pelvis. Without turning his head, he dryly and calmly said, "Walk away, Timothy. This does not concern you."

Timmy came closer, grabbing Anti-Cosmo's arm and pulling the crowbar away from the captive woman. "This is wrong. Even you know that."

Anti-Cosmo's anger flared as he shoved Timmy hard enough to knock him down. "This isn't about bad luck or making misery because it is fun. This is about nothing less than justice, retribution for what she allowed to happen."

Timmy looked at Nicky, remembering Tootie's breakdown less than a week ago and even Vicky's tears as she told him what happened. Mostly, he thought about how their mom reacted when Tootie tried to get help. Nicky looked back at the boy, sobbing briefly. "I don't know how my daughters got you mixed up in their lies, but I …

Timmy grabbed her hair and pulled it – hard – making her look directly at him. He said, "You need to stop talking now," in a cold voice that gave Wanda shivers. _What is he capable of when Tootie is involved?_

Nicky gulped and stayed silent.

Timmy looked back at Anti-Cosmo and spoke in his normal voice, "I know what happened to Tootie and yes, her mom should have helped but didn't. But this won't help anyone. It won't unrape Tootie. All it will do is make you as bad as her uncle was."

Anti-Cosmo listened; the thought had not occurred to him before. "I suppose you are right, Timothy. After all, there are lines even I wouldn't cross. I suppose I should just let her go back to the streets of Lecterville." He leaned into her face and whispered, "When you go home, write this down as the day Timothy Turner saved your life. Also remember that I am a creature of evil and I'm not as bad as you or your wretched excuse for a brother."

Nicky started to protest, "My brother would never do such horrible things as …"

Timmy, Anti-Cosmo, and Wanda yelled at the same time, "SHUT UP!" Wisely, she did and Anti-Cosmo's crowbar changed back to its wand form, poofing her away.

"Did you undo the chains she had on?" Wanda asked.

"Of course not," Anti-Cosmo responded, smiling. "I don't want to get too carried away with mercy. I do have a reputation to keep, after all."

Timmy watched this interaction; clearly Anti-Cosmo must know where Cosmo is, but why did he care about Tootie so much? He had to know. "Why did you have her here, anyway? What do you care about her?"

Anti-Cosmo glared at him. "Of course I care. Even if Fairy World doesn't think of that poor girl's victimization, I do. And I must say that when a creature like myself has more compassion then the alleged keeper of love, that says something about the so-called Cupid."

Timmy started at him, confused. "But what does that have to do with you?"

Anti-Cosmo's smile disappeared and he looked at Wanda, a mixture of bewilderment and almost-amusement on his face. "He really doesn't know, does he?"

Wanda stammered, then glared back at the anti-fairy. "He knows enough."

Timmy was now _very_ interested in where this conversation was going. "I know enough about what?"

Wanda jumped in, "About what happened to Tootie."

Anti-Cosmo smiled again; this was a chance to cause chaos and get retribution against the boy who made him choose mercy over inflicting pain. "I think what young Timothy means is why _I_ care. You see, you may be bound by Da Rulez, but I am not. Just because Cupid chose to ignore the suffering of poor innocent Tootie does not mean I cannot avenge it."

Timmy stood perplexed; he felt like he was piecing together a horrible puzzle. He turned to Wanda, "What is he talking about?"

Anti-Cosmo turned toward Timmy, floating up to his face. "I am talking about why my counterpart cared so much that it carried over to me. Now, maybe it is twisted, my being an evil counterpart, but my concern remains. And clearly he didn't tell you, so I will. Out of a desire to not push the limits too far, I have kept that vile wretch of a mother here for a while, until he gave me the right to unleash my twisted, yet righteous, fury."

Timmy cautiously asked, "And why would Cosmo do that?"

Wanda attempted to interrupt, until Anti-Cosmo waved his wand. "He asked, and I will answer him, because it is clear you are not very forthcoming with the truth." He paused, and then continued. "Cosmo was very angry when Cupid decided to not allow Tootie to have fairy godparents of her own. The Council made its decision, and Cupid overrode it. Cosmo was so angry, his actions became legendary. Cupid's entire estate suffered the wrath of Cosmo-Saurus that day. And I guess I inherited some of that wrath."

Timmy's confusion grew. _That makes no sense. Why would Cosmo care that Tootie didn't get fairy godparents? It's not as if he and Wanda would have been …_

He turned to Wanda. ""You were supposed to be her godparents, weren't you?"

Wanda lowered her head. Anti-Cosmo's smile grew wider. "And now, my dear boy, you know everything. What I'm curious about is why you're here now and not at Cupid's estate. Or rather, what's left of it. It's been a while since Cosmo went there, so maybe I should be calling it Cupid's Crater." Without another word, Wanda waved her wand, poofing her and Timmy to just inside Cupid's lobby.

Timmy looked at her, eyes filled with anger. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Wanda lowered her head again and spoke softly, "It would have been too much to throw at you. And then, the time never seemed right. Besides, Cosmo was not the only one angry. But Cupid had his reasons, and we have to accept them."

Timmy shook his head; it made no sense. If he had known about this, he would have given up his fairies, whether he had feeling for Tootie or not. She needed them more than he did. "What reason could he have for not letting Tootie have you guys?"

"Why don't we ask him ourselves?" The two turned at Cosmo's voice as he floated into the room, pulling Cupid in a butterfly net.

Veronica smiled as she left the costume shop. Everything was going as planned. She knew that Timmy, soon to be _her_ Timmy, would agree to go to the party with her. Chad would get everything in place at the party, and by Saturday, she will be the queen of Dimmsdale Jr. High, with her buck-toothed consort by her side. _Maybe we can even start a dynasty someday_, she thought to herself as she checked her purchase one more time. The glasses fit. They may not look right, but they only need to work once.


End file.
